There’s a place in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist called Trollskull Alley, and you may soon find yourself spending a great deal of time on this auspicious street. To keep this hub of life and excitement in Waterdeep feeling fresh, you will want to make sure it’s always teeming with new visitors for the player characters to meet. Dungeon Masters, this article is for you. And players?
This article contains major spoilers for Waterdeep: Dragon Heist.
Are all the players gone? Excellent. Dungeon Masters, let’s take a look at Trollskull Alley. Your players will probably make Trollskull Manor, the local tavern, their home. Most of chapter 2 of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is dedicated to familiarizing you and the players with their new neighbors and giving you ways for the players to interact with them… but cities are not static places. Waterdeep’s citizens move about, and as a historic neighborhood, dozens of people will be coming and going, visiting Trollskull Alley’s shops—and perhaps even the players’ tavern, if they get it up and running.
These “micro-encounters” will help immerse your players in the fantasy of living in a big city, and it gives you a quick and easy way to introduce new NPCs: just bump into them on the street! In the fantasy equivalent of New York City, not every first meeting needs to be accompanied by fanfare. Sometimes, you just meet someone.
Also, keep the start of chapter 3 in mind. When a fireball strikes Trollskull Alley and throws the street into chaos, the resulting blast kills no fewer than eleven people. While the deaths of several innocent bystanders is a tragedy, these senseless deaths carry even greater weight if they are characters the players had grown familiar with over the past few weeks. Use this method with caution, and be wary of killing off beloved NPCs; while a little bit of abject tragedy can thrust player characters into action, too much heartbreak can suck the fun out of a campaign. Try to get a good sense of your players’ tonal preferences in your “session 0,” and tailor your campaign’s events to your audience’s tastes.
Sowing the Seeds of Story
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is already replete with NPCs. You may wish to avoid inserting new ones into the story to prevent your campaign’s dramatis personae from becoming too bloated. Seeding your campaign with recurring NPCs is also a great way to create lasting bonds between player characters and NPCs. Many NPCs in this adventure are “functional” characters, that is, they fill a one-time role and are not expected to ever be seen again. This is perfectly fine, but if you want your NPCs to linger in your players’ memories, you may want to have them meet the player characters casually before their “function” in the story occurs. Here are a few encounters you can use to make greater use of minor NPCs.
Valetta
Valetta is a bronze dragonborn priest of Gond. She tends to the House of Inspired Hands, a temple of Gond and place of creation for new inventions. Learning to visit the House of Inspired Hands after the fireball attack at the start of chapter 3 is one of the trickier leaps of logic in this adventure. Having Valetta explore Trollskull Alley to do some shopping earlier in the adventure with a nimblewright carrying her bags could help your characters make this connection better. Knowing that marvelous mechanical creatures like nimblewrights exist in the City of Splendors, and that they are created by inventors at the House of Inspired Hands.
Valetta is neutral, and has a mild temper. She has a mathematical and calculating mind, but enjoys shopping and will often work exciting new aesthetic designs into her mechanical masterpieces.
Esvele Rosznar
This young noblewoman is the scion of House Rosznar, a noble house with an ill reputation as a den of slavers and smugglers. But Esvele has an even deeper secret: while she is a bored noblewoman by day, she dons a mask at night and becomes the legendary criminal: the Black Viper. In this guise, Esvele may become an ally or rival to roguish player characters—especially if you have chosen the Cassalanters as your villain of choice. With the Cassalanters as villains, the schemes and intrigue of Waterdeep’s nobility takes center stage, and Esvele’s story of family drama and personal redemption can really shine through.
Of course, you need to set up a story like this in advance. The players may meet Esvele Rosznar out of costume in Trollskull Alley as she is dragged along with her overbearing family (or a servant) as they take a weekend jaunt through the North Ward. She is fascinated by scoundrels like the player characters, and may seek to befriend them. Later, they may encounter the Black Viper during a minor encounter—like on a faction mission or during the raid of Gralhund Villa—as she pursues her own objectives. The player characters may be seeking the Stone of Golorr in Gralhund Villa, but the Black Viper may simply wish to rob them blind, for she knows nothing of the stone or its significance.
On this mission, the Viper recognizes her new friends, but must try to conceal her secret identity while working alongside—or against—them.
Savra Belabranta
Savra Belabranta is a knight of the Order of the Gauntlet, and personally delivers missions to characters who choose to the join her faction. She joined the Order of the Gauntlet because she needed to atone. Once, years ago, she was a member of the Feathergale Society, a group of griffon knights that were ensnared in the lies of the Cult of Howling Hatred, an evil sect devoted to the worship of Yan-C-Bin, Prince of Elemental Air. This story is detailed in the events of Princes of the Apocalypse, but in the aftermath of this adventure, Savra was freed from the grip of the cult and returned to Waterdeep and joined the Order of the Gauntlet to atone for her evil deeds.
You can help this story of atonement make a greater impact by introducing Savra as a character before the players know her as a simple faction representative. She is overjoyed to have escaped the cult’s influence and to have been “reborn” as a devotee of Tyr, and she often takes to the sky on griffonback in the early morning to perform aerial tricks above the North Ward. Early-rising player characters may notice her doing tricks above Trollskull Alley, and if they have opened their tavern for business, Savra may stop in for a hot breakfast before returning to perform her morning duties at the temple.
Fel’rekt Lafeen
Fel’rekt Lafeen is a male drow and a member of the Bregan D’aerthe. He is in Waterdeep as part of Jarlaxle’s crew, and he is nearly inseparable from his best friend Krebbyg Masq’il’yr, and the two love bantering back and forth and lambasting their enemies.
Fel’rekt has an interesting story that might be missed in anything but a campaign with Jarlaxle as its primary villain: he is a male drow that was born female, and rebelled against the drow matriarchy. He fled Menzoberranzan and joined the Bregan D’aerthe and is “eager to prove himself, [and he] is quick to volunteer for tasks and hurls himself into combat with verve.” Nevertheless, he is actually a kind-hearted and altruistic dark elf, and may even become a close ally of the player characters if they have a common enemy. If Jarlaxle is not the main villain, this is easy enough. If Jarlaxle is the campaign’s antagonist, however, Fel’rekt’s friendship with the characters may make him a tragic character, forced to choose between his captain and his friends.
During my playtest of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, one of my players’ characters fell in love with Fel’rekt and he became one of the party’s best allies. Jarlaxle Baenre was an untrustworthy ally of the player characters, as the Xanathar was their common enemy, but his slippery and self-serving actions often put the characters and the Bregan D’aerthe at odds. Nevertheless, when the chips were down, Fel’rekt chose his beloved over his captain.
Introducing a New Neighbor
Several NPCs from my original draft of Trollskull Alley didn’t make it into the final product. There are only so many words one can fit in a 256-page book, after all! If your version of Trollskull Alley could use a few more neighbors, here’s a local shop that didn’t make the cut.
Zephyr Post
Birds of all colors can be seen delivering letters through the upper windows of this sky-blue townhouse at all hours of the day. The residents of Trollskull Alley and other nearby streets use the Zephyr Post to deliver letters to friends, colleagues, and mercenaries throughout Waterdeep. The inside of the shop is filled with the sweet aroma of Calishite incense.
Fatima al-Umari
The owner of the Zephyr Post is an elderly, brown-skinned woman from the distant lands of Zakhara. She speaks little of her past, but other residents of Trollskull Alley believe she fled with her parents as a child after her city was sacked by barbarians. She uses commoner statistics.
Ideal. Communication. All sorrow in the world is caused by those who fail to communicate.
Bond. I have no blood relatives in this city, but I treat the poor and homeless as my children. I remember what it was like to have no one.
Flaw. My memory isn’t what it used to be. I have to keep strict written records to remember anything.
Services
The Zephyr Post’s hawks can deliver a message to any address in Waterdeep for 2 sp.
Additionally, mercenaries and other hirelings can be contracted through the Zephyr Post. By sending a hawk and attaching their fee in advance, an NPC hireling will arrive at the characters’ residence the next morning. There are only so many mercenaries in Waterdeep, and you may deny any unreasonable requests.
Hireling Costs
Hireling Type |
Cost |
Lackey, troubadour, or torchbearer (use commoner statistics) |
2 sp per day |
Common mercenary or artisan (use acolyte, bandit, or scout statistics) |
5 gp per day |
Veteran mercenary or artisan (use druid, priest, or veteran statistics) |
50 gp per day |
Famous mercenary or artisan (use gladiator, mage, or master thief statistics) |
250 gp per day, plus the cost of spell components and an equal share of all treasure and rewards |
Making Trollskull Alley your Own
The quiet little neighborhood of Trollskull Alley is only as important as your players make it. You can’t force them to make friends with the NPCs, but you can encourage them to make the neighborhood your own. Sometimes that means changing up who hangs around. If your players want to turn their tavern into a dark and suspicious den of villainy, perhaps more upstanding NPCs like Avi and Embric will clear out and a less reputable business will take over their forge. Maybe Vincent Trench will make his true identity known to player characters he feel are suitably sinister (or who melt his fiendish heart with true kindness).
And if you don’t like any of this… change it! I won’t be offended (unless you’re a jerk online about it). What’s your ideal Trollskull Alley? Is it a quiet and secluded hideaway for your group of roguish characters? Or is it filled with NPCs snooping about for some hint of the player characters’ activities? Do they feel at home, or threatened? Ask yourself questions like these and see how it inspires a new version of this historic neighborhood in your version of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist.
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is now available digitally on D&D Beyond and in print at Wizards Play Network affiliated game shops. If you’re still waiting to get your copy, it’ll be available at other retailers starting on September 18th.
James Haeck is the lead writer for D&D Beyond, the co-author of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and the Critical Role Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, the DM of Worlds Apart, and a freelance writer for Wizards of the Coast, the D&D Adventurers League, and Kobold Press. He lives in Seattle, Washington with his partner Hannah and his tabaxi hirelings, Mei and Marzipan. You can usually find him wasting time on Twitter at @jamesjhaeck.
Love the sly rogue Fireball carnage dig at the Wafflecrew's latest unwanted attention on their nearby home!
And well done on the Transgender Drow!
Just gonna bookmark this and try not to rush them into chapter 2 . . .
My players wanted to rebuild Tresendar manor in phandalin, and I am going to use trollskull manor for it.
ok Fel'rekt sounds as cool as Drizzt
I find myself trying to DM and twelve strong group of adventurers through Dragon Heist. as things stand they have just arrived in Waterdeep and are splitting up to explore the city. this article has given me some new ideas for what side adventures they could have before meeting up at the Yarning Portal. Thanks a lot.
If anyone has any other ideas for things i could inflict on my players and their characters, particularly crime bosses in the city other than everyone's favorite beholder feel free to post a reply.
Thank you, for giving another npc, the city streets are not fleshed out as much as I thought they would be. so every little bit helps. As well as added a new store/service to the city. Preciate it.
This little snippit is exactly what I needed to get the party to settle down. A bar of their own. I love it. I can imagine a similar setting to the bar in Deadpool. Great stuff and keep em coming!
Are the npcs listed here in the book or additions from your own playthrough we can add to our own?
On the subject of NPCs who are functional, with all the different villains running around at the same time, why does Lady Gralhund give the stone to anyone other than Manshoon? The politics and turmoil of the house lends itself perfectly to instigating the Winter storyline, the rest feel tacked on.
As an aside, is the location of the Vault of Dragons ever mentioned?
The location of the vault is dependant on the season you run. Go to Chapter 4 and look at the encounter chains. The final encounter in each chain is where the vault is hidden.
Thanks for this, James. I'm still new as a DM and little ideas like simply having non-story-critical named NPCs to mingle with (and who may ultimately end up as
cannonfireball fodder)--it's just something I wouldn't have thought of. Really appreciate your articles!It's a great addition to the book. Speaking of which - Chapter 2 has missions for every faction except Xanathar Guild. Can we get some Xanathar missions as one of these articles? Thanks
And in troll skull alley you'll see a destroyed house with a constant smell of pies just walk past
Good module. So far. And a fun read at the very least.
I'm on that same boat, Just going to go through the notions, but eternally super exited to get them here.
One more time, James you done great work here. I will use the Zephyr shop, I am going to make a change put that she also runs a side business of a pet store for any of the old birds that are going to be retiring. Maybe the players want to have a pet or a animal that is used to the streets of Waterdeep.
I love this article, and i love the thought of expanding the alley to be more like a whimsical shopping destination, kinda like Diagon Alley. Maybe, after the players start up their bar, and start making a name for themselves, a candy shop pops up down the alley, offering animated candy constructs, and physics-defying confections. With the success of that shop, a clothing store opens, offering fanciful clothing, enchanted with magical flames, or to make the wearer appear more beautiful or terrible. maybe a potioneer moves in, offering sweet tasting cures for everyday miladies; a bubbly blue hiccup tonic guaranteed to stop hiccups, or your money back; a sparkly green oil that will clean oxidation from any metal surface, and leave it beautifully polished. of course they would offer healing potions, and have a back room for some of the more combat oriented potions.
Here in Vancouver BC we have Blood Alley. (This street used to be the place to go if you were looking for some fresh cuts of meat. This was the freshest meat you could find and the butchers which lined these streets overtook the shopping market. The street was named Blood Alley due to the blood that was found in the streets after the butchers would clean off with water after cutting meat all day. The streets would be full of blood which coined the name, Blood Alley. Not only were the streets covered in blood from the butchering of meat every day. Blood Alley Square was the location for public executions. This just reinforced the name that was given to the area. The name given was a great depiction of the activities that took place in that time period in history. )
Now, you can visit Blood Alley for some local shopping and enjoy a great dining experience in one of the trendy restaurants. You can find some business offering a variety of services as well. Blood Alley will remain a significant part of history of Vancouver and will always have those chilling stories to make this area unique.
I figure the history of Blood Alley would make a great Trollskull Alley for Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. As a DM, I love taking real places and history and altering it to fit into the fantasy campaigns I run.
Using Jarlaxle as the villain so Fel'rekt is definitely going in. Gah, I thought this page was actually in the book, spent time scouring but I'm glad I found this again.
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