Part 1 – Reclaimed Treasures

Prologue

Hello. My name is Vassena Galla. At least, that’s what I tell people. My real name….well, perhaps when we get to know each other better, I’ll tell you that too. In the meantime, all you need to know is…I’m alone.

It wasn’t always this way. Just six years ago, I was a young student attending Kitharodian Academy, or Kith as we like to call it, the greatest bardic college in all of Golarion. But I was only there for a few months before I received a summons to return home as swiftly as possible. It was only later I learned that summons wasn’t sent by my parents.

Immediately upon receiving the summons I was granted a horse and carriage with a driver and a guard provided by the school. We raced across the city from Canal Row, where the school campus resides, all the way to Westpark, the home of my family’s estate.

At least, that was the intention. As we turned down a winding street leading from Imperial Square to Westpark, we were ambushed. The horses whined, and both my driver and my guard shouted for help. I was scared, so I opened the lid to my seat, crawled inside and closed it tight, holding the latch as securely as I could.

The carriage jostled about for what felt like hours, but was probably only seconds. The loud noises came to a halt, and the carriage door swung open. I heard voices, but don’t remember what they said. I closed my eyes and prayed with all my might to Calistria to keep me safe, though I knew I would be caught, except…

I wasn’t.

The carriage door closed, and a hushed silence filled the air.

When I felt brave enough, I let the lid to my place of safety creek open just a touch. The carriage was empty, though every item that had once been carefully placed now lay scattered and broken upon the floor.

I pushed open the lid a bit further and soon found myself clambering out. I could hear voices shouting from a distance outside. People were coming. A panic rose within me. Were the attackers coming back?

Ducking out of the rear of the carriage, I looked around. Daytime had turned to dusk, but I could still see well enough. The horses had seemingly fled, and the carriage was broken. I won’t say what happened to my driver and guard, but I’m sure you can well imagine.

A small crowd of people were surging toward me, but whether to help or harm I couldn’t say, so I fled.

I ran down the streets of Oppara, the streets I grew up on and knew so well, until I reached my family’s estate where I was forced to stop and stare in horror at the blaze rampaging across the estate grounds. A crowd of people had gathered, some trying to put the flames out, others staring helplessly. It didn’t seem to matter what anyone did. The flames were determined to destroy everything.

“Excuse me, miss,” someone said. A man, I think. I hardly registered the words or the man himself other than he was approaching. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said, and reached out his hand as though to grab me, or maybe to help me. I’m not sure.

Either way, I fled again. I didn’t know where to go or what to do. I only knew I wanted to get away. Eventually I reached an old shed I knew no one used. How I got there, I couldn’t say, but I knew it was safe, at least for a time. I went inside and closed the door, then sat down in the corner and cried exhaustion took me.

Since then, I’ve been a child of the street, fending for myself under the name Vassena Galla. I’d seen the name on the wall at Kith one time. The name of a former student from long ago. It called to me somehow, in my dreams. Now it is my name. My new name.

My real name, you ask? Well, for a long time I’d forgotten, but recently it began to resurface in rumors floating through the streets. Well, not my name, but my family’s name. Servina. Rumors of the Servina family’s priceless treasures had begun to surface. Items saved from the fire were being sold in the dark corners of society.

I remember that night well. Nothing could have survived that blaze. The items must have been stolen first, by the same people who burned down my estate and probably killed my family, for I’ve heard no mention of any surviving members. I may not be able to save them, but I can save my family’s legacy.

The Servina family treasure will return home. On this, I swear.

Chapter 1