Adrasteia looks around trying to recognize any symbols in the tavern. There is not much adorning the walls. If anything, past patrons seem to enjoy using their carving knives or daggers to add their personalized marks to wooden tables, stools, or pillars. A broken heart here, flames there, and several skulls serve as decoration, and all of it quite precarious in style. Adrasteia thinks one of the smaller carvings is of an open palm, which, thanks to her studies, she associates with the worship of the god Bane.
Sim takes an empty stool at the bar and looks around. To the best of her perceptive abilities, Sim can tell that the dive’s dockworker patrons are loath to talk to strangers. They may need some convincing one way or the other (please choose your approach: persuasion, intimidation, bribery, etc.)
LORE BOX (BANE)
Bane the Black Hand has a simple ethos: the strong have not just the right but the duty to rule over the weak. A tyrant who is able to seize power must do so, for not only does the tyrant benefit, but so do those under the tyrant’s rule. When a ruler succumbs to decadence, corruption, or decrepitude, a stronger and more suitable ruler will rise.
Also known as the Lord of Darkness, Bane is vilified in many legends. Throughout history, those who favor him have committed dark deeds in his name, but most people don’t worship Bane out of malice. Bane represents ambition and control, and those who have the former but lack the latter pray to him to give them strength. It is said that Bane favors those who exhibit drive and courage, and that he aids those who seek to become conquerors, carving kingdoms from the wilderness, and bringing order to the lawless.
At many times and in many places in Faerûn, the faithful of Bane have been seen as saviors for their efforts in slaughtering raiders, throwing down corrupt rulers, or saving armies on the brink of defeat. But in just as many other places, the worship of Bane has created or supported cruel dictatorships, aided mercantile monopolies, or brought about the practice of slavery where before it didn’t exist.
Bane is represented by an open palm painted black:
I choose to share my knowledge of Bane with my companions, and I say that it may be a good lead for the disappearance of our quarry. Perhaps they got mixed up in something nefarious?
I want to ask the bartender or one of the waiters/waitresses if they know anything about local Bane worship/activities. Investigation? 13
(@Adrasteia: That would be more of a persuasion check, so it'll be a 16 for you. Also, there are no bartender or barmaids to be seen, as stated above, so we'll say you approach a random patron.)
Adrasteia approaches a patron who she judges to be a regular of the Skewered Dragon. "What? Bane? Are yous one of those holy womans? I meself am a setvant of the ***** Queen.... Hahaha" His laugh is a bit obnoxious. "Don't worry lady... it's likely sumone just carvin' symbols... Yous will struggle to find unmarked wood here... Hahahaha"
Sim and Mokiakia approach another patron. "Ah yes, lots a fightin' these days, and none of the good ol'bar brawls either... Folk be takin' theirs fights too serious these days. Thieves all over town beatin' each other up."
You can all tell the folk in here don't immediately recognize you as nobles, but that may not last too long.
LORE BOX (UMBERLEE)
No community that lives by the sea can ignore the influence of Umberlee, the furious goddess whose tempestuous nature reflects and is reflected by the waters of the deep. Any such community makes sure to host festivals to propitiate the Wavemother and seek her favor. Although mercurial in temperament, she can be generous to those who do her honor, as is any great queen.
The ***** Queen is worshiped out of fear instead of adoration, and ship crews offer her gems, tossed over the side, to calm storm-tossed waters. As her most common moniker suggests, she is viewed as capricious and cruel with no firm ethical outlook; the sea is a savage place, and those who travel it had best be willing to pay the price of challenging her domain.
There is little in the way of an organized clergy of the Queen of the Depths. Her priests roam coastal cities, warning of doom and demanding free passage on ships in return for ensuring the goddess’s pleasure. Often they wear the colors of waves and storms, and they decorate themselves with items that remind others of the sea’s dangerous nature — a necklace of shark teeth, seaweed wrapped about a human bone, and so on. The preserved hand of a drowned person is thought to be a particularly holy object, and some of her few clerics use such severed hands as holy symbols. Umberlee does have a large number of shrines in the coastal cities, and sailors often leave flowers or small candies at them in hopes that she will spare them on their next voyage. Both Waterdeep and Baldur’s Gate have true temples dedicated to Umberlee, staffed largely by the widows of sailors lost at sea.
A fishermen seeking Umberlee's favor may paint her symbol, that of crashing waves curling left and right, on their boats:
I nod in agreement. "We're looking for a friend who passed through here a few days ago, Floon Blagmaar. He's a young man with red-blonde hair, sharp dresser...heard of or seen him lately? I'd be happy to get your next drink." I slip five silver pieces onto the bar (guessing this would actually cover a bit more than some cheap ale?).
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
I decide to walk over to the Old Xoblob Shop and look for the curious gnome that seems eager to speak up. I run a History check to recall about past disputes and historical events of the shop. 24
A scruffy looking gnome appear from beneath the bar counter and grabs the silver coins left there by Sim. Without a word, he eventually places two generous mugs of morning ale in front of Sim and her conversation counterpart. The man mentions that he not only remembers someone matching Sim's description, but also his companion, which you take it to mean Volo by the way he describes him. Several of the regulars remember seeing the pair drinking together a couple of nights ago: "After the noisy one left, the red-haired one stuck around long enough to meet with another friend. A chip off the old block, that one!” sneers the patron. “Just another spoiled, rich noble who likes to rub our noses in it!” says another. A small gathering of patrons form around Sim, no doubt expecting a free drink after chiming in with bits and pieces of information of varying degrees of usefulness. Over the next several minutes, Sim gathers that the two men (Floon and the other friend that showed up after Volo had left) drank and played a few rounds of Three-Dragon Ante before leaving around midnight. Five men followed them out, and no one in the tavern knows what happened after that. The men who left shortly after Floon and his second friend haven’t returned to the tavern since, but they’re known to frequent a warehouse on Candle Lane. “Look for the snake symbol on the door,” says one of the tavern regulars.
In a separate conversation, a few patrons repeatedly tell Adrasteia that they do not know much about whatever specific fight she is referring to. They insist many fights have been breaking out around town. They know that the Zhentarim mercenaries are part of the conflict and the rumor mill in town suggests that the other party involved are more than just common street rabble and cut-purses. They seem more organized than otherwise, and yet, the City Watch does not seem to give them credit for it.
Heading over to the Old Xoblob Shop alone, Mokiakia approaches and quickly gets a sense of the strangeness of the place. A cloud of lavender-scented purple smoke trails out of the shop’s door as you peer inside. Every wall is painted purple, and every dusty knickknack on the shelves is dyed a deep violet. The hairless old gnome sitting cross-legged on the counter wears plum-colored robes. His cheeks are decorated with nine purple face-painted eyes. The gnome lowers a pipe and exhales a cloud of lavender smoke before raising a hand. “I knew you wouldn't resist perusing my eccentricities. Hail and well met! Come browse the shelves of the most curious curiosity shop in the world!”
LORE BOX (A LONG HISTORY IN BRIEF - PART 1 OF 4 AS WRITTEN BY VOLO)
“There shall come a time when our city and its deepwater bay shall grow in fame and fortune across many realms and many worlds. Folk shall know of Waterdeep, our City of Splendors, and sing its praises. I have seen it thus, and I endeavor to make it true.”
— Ahghairon, the first Open Lord of Waterdeep, circa 1032 DR
People have inhabited the plateau upon which Waterdeep stands for longer than human histories record. But as is the way across the dangerous North, civilization at the foot of Mount Waterdeep has crested and ebbed in great waves. Elf scholars assure me that it was once the site of Aelinthaldaar, the capital of their ancient empire of Illefarn. So it was already a glorious place when a dwarf prospector named Melair discovered mithral beneath the mountain. In agreement with the Illefarni, Melair called kith and kin to mine under the mountain and in the plateau, and thus Clan Melairkyn came to rule below as the Illefarni did above.
But this fruitful alliance lasted less than the lifetime of a dwarf, for the emperor of the elves — what they call a “coronal” — commanded that all leave in the Retreat, that great exodus of elves from Faerûn to their mystical isle of Evermeet. Not all elves agreed with this edict, and many were determined to stay. Well, what emperor has ever willingly allowed another to sit in his throne? The coronal had all of Aelinthaldaar razed by magic, and the remaining elves splintered into separate kingdoms. The Melairkyn, of course, saw this as a breaking of their bargain, and never again did they deal with elves. Instead, they tunneled ever deeper under the mountain, never to be heard from again.
So it was that the humans who came to the deepwater harbor found it empty and suitable for their own purposes. For more than a thousand years, folk lived and traded at the site of what would become Waterdeep, but their identities remain a mystery — with a curious exception. We know that at some point during this period, the wizard Halaster Blackcloak built his tower at the base of Mount Waterdeep and came to rule the lands around — until he, like the Melairkyn, vanished under the mountain.
Various warlords later claimed the plateau’s harbor as their own, but it was one known as Nimoar who is best remembered. A History of Waterdeep: Age One, The Rise of the Warlord records how Nimoar raised a wooden stockade to protect the settlement around the harbor, claiming rule over the town that by then was being called “Nimoar’s Hold, the Town of Waters Deep.”
This shop has a bit of fame locally, mostly for being strange. You know that it used to be called something else in the past but your memory fails on the exact words. Those who live in the Dock Ward know that the Old Xoblob Shop was bought from its previous owner by the gnome currently at the counter, and that he tried renaming it after himself, yet everyone kept calling it the Old Xoblob Shop. He therefore restored the old name and changed his name to Xoblob instead.
Adrasteia follows Mokiakia into the oddity shop, leaving Sim to conclude the conversation with the Skewered Dragon patrons. After Adrasteia describes Floon and Volo, the dark-skinned gnome responds: "My name is Xoblob, like the shop. Of your friends, I can say that I recognize the description for this Floon, was it?" Adrasteia can tell that he is a bit reluctant to share information, but does so anyway in the end. "This Floon was with a well-dressed fellow of similar appearance and bearing, but he doesn't match the description for this other friend of yours, Volo. Anyway, the two of them were jumped outside the shop by rough-looking men in black leather armor. I think there were five attackers, but none of them looked familiar. One of them had a black tattoo of a winged snake on his neck."
(@All: You guys are rolling really well in these interaction skill checks! Also, I need an insight from either Adrasteia or Mokiakia).
While the old gnome speaks, Adrasteia looks over the shelves. Many strange things are being displayed, each with a small card presenting a brief description: a mummified goblin hand, a piece of crystal that faintly glows in the moonlight, a gold coin minted in an unknown land, a brass ring that never tarnishes, an old chess piece made from glass, a cloak that moves slightly on its own, a soundless horn, a pair of orbs to aid with navigation, a staff made of mysterious wood, and so on. All of the items are either naturally or have been painted/stained purple.
LORE BOX (DEEP GNOMES)
Also known as svirfneblin, the deep gnomes of the Underdark are a stark contrast to their surface kin, dour and serious compared to the cheerful and generally optimistic rock gnomes and forest gnomes. They share their cousins’ obsession with privacy, and their homes below the surface of Faerûn are well guarded and deeply hidden.
Owing to the hostility of their Underdark neighbors, particularly the dark elves, the settlements and kingdoms of svirfneblin are in constant danger of being relocated, conquered, or destroyed. Such was the fate of Blingdenstone, one of the grandest deep gnome strongholds, which existed for more than two thousand years until it was overrun a little more than a century ago by the dark elves of Menzoberranzan. The deep gnomes recently reclaimed their old home, and now struggle to rid it of malign influences that have crept into the tunnels and warrens in their absence.
Deep gnomes are lean with dark, earthen skin tones of gray. Males are bald and beardless, like Xoblob himself, while females have hair on their heads. Both sexes have little or no body hair and a stone-like look to their skin.
Deep gnome adventurers are just as curious and daring as those of other races. Some find their purpose living among other subterranean races, and a few make their way to the surface like Xoblob. Those who study the arcane arts of illusion in particular often range far from home, seeking knowledge unavailable in their own lands.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Hoping for the better outcome, I will let Adastreia roll for insight since my mod is lower than hers.
However, I would like to add "You seem to be a perspicacious gnome who notices and knows more than the average patron of the Skewered Dragon. What happened after they were beat up?"
Also, can he describe Floon's companion? Clothes, hair, bearing, race? persuasion13
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Thanking the crowd for their information, I do a hasty head count and make sure I cover a round of ale for everyone. “If you hear or see my friend or any of the five men who followed him, please send word to me. I’ll be very happy to share another drink with you.”
I slip out of the tavern and glance up and down the street to see if anyone is watching before crossing over to join my friends at the Xoblob shop. 11
Noticing she was left alone, Sim thanks her new acquaintances at the Skewered Dragon and leaves 20sp on the counter to cover a round for everyone that is now surrounding her, including tip. She then leaves and heads over to the Old Xoblob Shop. She keeps an eye out but in her rush to meet up with her friends, she does less than a stellar job. She can't be completely sure whether or not someone was watching her.
At the shop, Xoblob continues his conversation:
To Mokiakia: "Well, after they beat them up, they carried both fellows that way" He points down the road. "The other man was a bit younger than this Floon, and fitter too. Long light brown hair, wearing black boots, a bright blue tabbard, and pantaloons to match his hair."
To Adrasteia: "Ah, yes, the magnificent color purple. You see, a few years ago I survived the detonation of a gas spore down in the Undermountain. Afterwards, I inherited some stray memories that were not my own. Driven by a compulsion to carve out my own domain, I bought this shop and the color purple called out to me. I felt empowered by it. I felt wiser, older, and even more perceptive, as if I had many eyes"He points to his cheeks, which are decorated with nine purple face-painted eyes. "Kind of like that puppet there" He then points to the purple stuffed beholder hanging atop the window. The puppet has one big eye and mouth, and its head is covered in thick, fleshy stalks instead of hair. Each stalk ends in a smaller eye. “No relation to the eye tyrant hanging in the window! I bought that afterwards... Anyway, buying anything? You owe me at least some business after all of this sharing I just did, right?”
LORE BOX (A LONG HISTORY IN BRIEF - PART 2 OF 4 AS WRITTEN BY VOLO)
War between orcs and elves in lands farther north drove hordes of trolls south to claw at the fledgling city, and amid this danger, Nimoar died of old age. Many bloody struggles unfolded between local folk and trolls, until the magic of a youth named Ahghairon turned the fortunes of war against the “everlasting ones,” which were destroyed or scattered. Ahghairon improved slowly in skill and power with the passage of the years, until he became a great mage. He is said to have discovered a supply of potions of longevity, or learned the art of making such, for he lived on and on, still physically in his prime for decade after decade.
A History of Waterdeep: Age Two, The Lords’ Rule Begins records that in the year 1032 DR, Ahghairon (then in his 112th winter) argued with Raurlor, who was then Warlord of Waterdeep. Raurlor wanted to use Waterdeep’s acquired wealth and strength of arms to create a northern empire. Ahghairon defied him before all the people, and Raurlor ordered the mage to be chained. But when Ahghairon magically turned aside all who sought to lay hands on him, Raurlor struck at the mage with his own sword. Ahghairon then rose into the air, just out of reach, and used his magic to transmute Raurlor’s blade into a hissing serpent. When the serpent struck Raurlor, he died in full view of his shocked followers.
Ahghairon then gathered the leaders of Waterdeep’s armies and powerful families. While runners sought to bring them to the castle, flames roared and crackled in the empty warlord’s throne at Ahghairon’s bidding, so that none could sit there. Then, when the gathered host of worthies met in the audience chamber, the wizard seated himself on the flaming throne. Immediately the fires died away, leaving both the throne and Ahghairon unharmed.
From this seat — the very one on which the Open Lord sits to this day — Ahghairon decreed how the city would be governed. While he would sit as lord openly, a council of other lords of nearly equal power would rule with him. But the identity of those other lords would be hidden even from each other, thus preventing any of them from being approached and influenced by bribe or threat. So it was that Ahghairon established Waterdeep’s system of governance.
Ahghairon was instrumental in establishing many of Waterdeep’s other institutions, such as its black-robed magisters, its Griffon Cavalry, and the city’s many guilds. The first Open Lord ruled wisely for over two centuries before the magic sustaining his health failed. He now lies entombed in his tower, which you can still see standing in the courtyard of the Palace of Waterdeep. Beware that you don’t approach too close, however, lest you stumble into the invisible barrier — a “force cage,” I am told — that surrounds the tower.
I want to run a history check to see if I recognize and symbols or signs in the decrepit surroundings. 21
I find a place at the bar and inconspicuously glance at the faces of the patrons to see if anyone looks open to talking. 19
Adrasteia looks around trying to recognize any symbols in the tavern. There is not much adorning the walls. If anything, past patrons seem to enjoy using their carving knives or daggers to add their personalized marks to wooden tables, stools, or pillars. A broken heart here, flames there, and several skulls serve as decoration, and all of it quite precarious in style. Adrasteia thinks one of the smaller carvings is of an open palm, which, thanks to her studies, she associates with the worship of the god Bane.
Sim takes an empty stool at the bar and looks around. To the best of her perceptive abilities, Sim can tell that the dive’s dockworker patrons are loath to talk to strangers. They may need some convincing one way or the other (please choose your approach: persuasion, intimidation, bribery, etc.)
LORE BOX (BANE)
Bane the Black Hand has a simple ethos: the strong have not just the right but the duty to rule over the weak. A tyrant who is able to seize power must do so, for not only does the tyrant benefit, but so do those under the tyrant’s rule. When a ruler succumbs to decadence, corruption, or decrepitude, a stronger and more suitable ruler will rise.
Also known as the Lord of Darkness, Bane is vilified in many legends. Throughout history, those who favor him have committed dark deeds in his name, but most people don’t worship Bane out of malice. Bane represents ambition and control, and those who have the former but lack the latter pray to him to give them strength. It is said that Bane favors those who exhibit drive and courage, and that he aids those who seek to become conquerors, carving kingdoms from the wilderness, and bringing order to the lawless.
At many times and in many places in Faerûn, the faithful of Bane have been seen as saviors for their efforts in slaughtering raiders, throwing down corrupt rulers, or saving armies on the brink of defeat. But in just as many other places, the worship of Bane has created or supported cruel dictatorships, aided mercantile monopolies, or brought about the practice of slavery where before it didn’t exist.
Bane is represented by an open palm painted black:
I choose to share my knowledge of Bane with my companions, and I say that it may be a good lead for the disappearance of our quarry. Perhaps they got mixed up in something nefarious?
I want to ask the bartender or one of the waiters/waitresses if they know anything about local Bane worship/activities. Investigation? 13
Based on their cool attitude toward strangers, I decide to go with bribery. I try to break the ice with the patron beside me with some gossip.
"Pretty good fight over at the Yawning Portal last night. A few thugs jumped an orc, who held her own until a fourth jumped on her."
Persuasion: 14
I accompany Sim on the small talk, hoping someone reveals something worth following up on.
(@Adrasteia: That would be more of a persuasion check, so it'll be a 16 for you. Also, there are no bartender or barmaids to be seen, as stated above, so we'll say you approach a random patron.)
Adrasteia approaches a patron who she judges to be a regular of the Skewered Dragon. "What? Bane? Are yous one of those holy womans? I meself am a setvant of the ***** Queen.... Hahaha" His laugh is a bit obnoxious. "Don't worry lady... it's likely sumone just carvin' symbols... Yous will struggle to find unmarked wood here... Hahahaha"
Sim and Mokiakia approach another patron. "Ah yes, lots a fightin' these days, and none of the good ol'bar brawls either... Folk be takin' theirs fights too serious these days. Thieves all over town beatin' each other up."
You can all tell the folk in here don't immediately recognize you as nobles, but that may not last too long.
LORE BOX (UMBERLEE)
No community that lives by the sea can ignore the influence of Umberlee, the furious goddess whose tempestuous nature reflects and is reflected by the waters of the deep. Any such community makes sure to host festivals to propitiate the Wavemother and seek her favor. Although mercurial in temperament, she can be generous to those who do her honor, as is any great queen.
The ***** Queen is worshiped out of fear instead of adoration, and ship crews offer her gems, tossed over the side, to calm storm-tossed waters. As her most common moniker suggests, she is viewed as capricious and cruel with no firm ethical outlook; the sea is a savage place, and those who travel it had best be willing to pay the price of challenging her domain.
There is little in the way of an organized clergy of the Queen of the Depths. Her priests roam coastal cities, warning of doom and demanding free passage on ships in return for ensuring the goddess’s pleasure. Often they wear the colors of waves and storms, and they decorate themselves with items that remind others of the sea’s dangerous nature — a necklace of shark teeth, seaweed wrapped about a human bone, and so on. The preserved hand of a drowned person is thought to be a particularly holy object, and some of her few clerics use such severed hands as holy symbols. Umberlee does have a large number of shrines in the coastal cities, and sailors often leave flowers or small candies at them in hopes that she will spare them on their next voyage. Both Waterdeep and Baldur’s Gate have true temples dedicated to Umberlee, staffed largely by the widows of sailors lost at sea.
A fishermen seeking Umberlee's favor may paint her symbol, that of crashing waves curling left and right, on their boats:
I nod in agreement. "We're looking for a friend who passed through here a few days ago, Floon Blagmaar. He's a young man with red-blonde hair, sharp dresser...heard of or seen him lately? I'd be happy to get your next drink." I slip five silver pieces onto the bar (guessing this would actually cover a bit more than some cheap ale?).
Adding persuasion check: 24
"We recently passed a Town Watch patrol that had rounded several people together. Do you know anything about what happened?" Persuasion: 15
I decide to walk over to the Old Xoblob Shop and look for the curious gnome that seems eager to speak up. I run a History check to recall about past disputes and historical events of the shop. 24
A scruffy looking gnome appear from beneath the bar counter and grabs the silver coins left there by Sim. Without a word, he eventually places two generous mugs of morning ale in front of Sim and her conversation counterpart. The man mentions that he not only remembers someone matching Sim's description, but also his companion, which you take it to mean Volo by the way he describes him. Several of the regulars remember seeing the pair drinking together a couple of nights ago: "After the noisy one left, the red-haired one stuck around long enough to meet with another friend. A chip off the old block, that one!” sneers the patron. “Just another spoiled, rich noble who likes to rub our noses in it!” says another. A small gathering of patrons form around Sim, no doubt expecting a free drink after chiming in with bits and pieces of information of varying degrees of usefulness. Over the next several minutes, Sim gathers that the two men (Floon and the other friend that showed up after Volo had left) drank and played a few rounds of Three-Dragon Ante before leaving around midnight. Five men followed them out, and no one in the tavern knows what happened after that. The men who left shortly after Floon and his second friend haven’t returned to the tavern since, but they’re known to frequent a warehouse on Candle Lane. “Look for the snake symbol on the door,” says one of the tavern regulars.
In a separate conversation, a few patrons repeatedly tell Adrasteia that they do not know much about whatever specific fight she is referring to. They insist many fights have been breaking out around town. They know that the Zhentarim mercenaries are part of the conflict and the rumor mill in town suggests that the other party involved are more than just common street rabble and cut-purses. They seem more organized than otherwise, and yet, the City Watch does not seem to give them credit for it.
Heading over to the Old Xoblob Shop alone, Mokiakia approaches and quickly gets a sense of the strangeness of the place. A cloud of lavender-scented purple smoke trails out of the shop’s door as you peer inside. Every wall is painted purple, and every dusty knickknack on the shelves is dyed a deep violet. The hairless old gnome sitting cross-legged on the counter wears plum-colored robes. His cheeks are decorated with nine purple face-painted eyes. The gnome lowers a pipe and exhales a cloud of lavender smoke before raising a hand. “I knew you wouldn't resist perusing my eccentricities. Hail and well met! Come browse the shelves of the most curious curiosity shop in the world!”
LORE BOX (A LONG HISTORY IN BRIEF - PART 1 OF 4 AS WRITTEN BY VOLO)
People have inhabited the plateau upon which Waterdeep stands for longer than human histories record. But as is the way across the dangerous North, civilization at the foot of Mount Waterdeep has crested and ebbed in great waves. Elf scholars assure me that it was once the site of Aelinthaldaar, the capital of their ancient empire of Illefarn. So it was already a glorious place when a dwarf prospector named Melair discovered mithral beneath the mountain. In agreement with the Illefarni, Melair called kith and kin to mine under the mountain and in the plateau, and thus Clan Melairkyn came to rule below as the Illefarni did above.
But this fruitful alliance lasted less than the lifetime of a dwarf, for the emperor of the elves — what they call a “coronal” — commanded that all leave in the Retreat, that great exodus of elves from Faerûn to their mystical isle of Evermeet. Not all elves agreed with this edict, and many were determined to stay. Well, what emperor has ever willingly allowed another to sit in his throne? The coronal had all of Aelinthaldaar razed by magic, and the remaining elves splintered into separate kingdoms. The Melairkyn, of course, saw this as a breaking of their bargain, and never again did they deal with elves. Instead, they tunneled ever deeper under the mountain, never to be heard from again.
So it was that the humans who came to the deepwater harbor found it empty and suitable for their own purposes. For more than a thousand years, folk lived and traded at the site of what would become Waterdeep, but their identities remain a mystery — with a curious exception. We know that at some point during this period, the wizard Halaster Blackcloak built his tower at the base of Mount Waterdeep and came to rule the lands around — until he, like the Melairkyn, vanished under the mountain.
Various warlords later claimed the plateau’s harbor as their own, but it was one known as Nimoar who is best remembered. A History of Waterdeep: Age One, The Rise of the Warlord records how Nimoar raised a wooden stockade to protect the settlement around the harbor, claiming rule over the town that by then was being called “Nimoar’s Hold, the Town of Waters Deep.”
In the curiosity shop, I want to run a history check to see if there are any items of significance on the shelves. 21
I want to ask the proprietor his name and if he knows anything about Floon, Volo, and the fight that we witnessed. Persuasion? 22
Mokiakia's history check:
Adrasteia follows Mokiakia into the oddity shop, leaving Sim to conclude the conversation with the Skewered Dragon patrons. After Adrasteia describes Floon and Volo, the dark-skinned gnome responds: "My name is Xoblob, like the shop. Of your friends, I can say that I recognize the description for this Floon, was it?" Adrasteia can tell that he is a bit reluctant to share information, but does so anyway in the end. "This Floon was with a well-dressed fellow of similar appearance and bearing, but he doesn't match the description for this other friend of yours, Volo. Anyway, the two of them were jumped outside the shop by rough-looking men in black leather armor. I think there were five attackers, but none of them looked familiar. One of them had a black tattoo of a winged snake on his neck."
(@All: You guys are rolling really well in these interaction skill checks! Also, I need an insight from either Adrasteia or Mokiakia).
While the old gnome speaks, Adrasteia looks over the shelves. Many strange things are being displayed, each with a small card presenting a brief description: a mummified goblin hand, a piece of crystal that faintly glows in the moonlight, a gold coin minted in an unknown land, a brass ring that never tarnishes, an old chess piece made from glass, a cloak that moves slightly on its own, a soundless horn, a pair of orbs to aid with navigation, a staff made of mysterious wood, and so on. All of the items are either naturally or have been painted/stained purple.
LORE BOX (DEEP GNOMES)
Also known as svirfneblin, the deep gnomes of the Underdark are a stark contrast to their surface kin, dour and serious compared to the cheerful and generally optimistic rock gnomes and forest gnomes. They share their cousins’ obsession with privacy, and their homes below the surface of Faerûn are well guarded and deeply hidden.
Owing to the hostility of their Underdark neighbors, particularly the dark elves, the settlements and kingdoms of svirfneblin are in constant danger of being relocated, conquered, or destroyed. Such was the fate of Blingdenstone, one of the grandest deep gnome strongholds, which existed for more than two thousand years until it was overrun a little more than a century ago by the dark elves of Menzoberranzan. The deep gnomes recently reclaimed their old home, and now struggle to rid it of malign influences that have crept into the tunnels and warrens in their absence.
Deep gnomes are lean with dark, earthen skin tones of gray. Males are bald and beardless, like Xoblob himself, while females have hair on their heads. Both sexes have little or no body hair and a stone-like look to their skin.
Deep gnome adventurers are just as curious and daring as those of other races. Some find their purpose living among other subterranean races, and a few make their way to the surface like Xoblob. Those who study the arcane arts of illusion in particular often range far from home, seeking knowledge unavailable in their own lands.
Hoping for the better outcome, I will let Adastreia roll for insight since my mod is lower than hers.
However, I would like to add "You seem to be a perspicacious gnome who notices and knows more than the average patron of the Skewered Dragon. What happened after they were beat up?"
Also, can he describe Floon's companion? Clothes, hair, bearing, race? persuasion13
Thanking the crowd for their information, I do a hasty head count and make sure I cover a round of ale for everyone. “If you hear or see my friend or any of the five men who followed him, please send word to me. I’ll be very happy to share another drink with you.”
I slip out of the tavern and glance up and down the street to see if anyone is watching before crossing over to join my friends at the Xoblob shop. 11
Insight: 5
"May I ask the significance of the color purple in your wares?"
Persuasion?: 16
Religion?: 15
Noticing she was left alone, Sim thanks her new acquaintances at the Skewered Dragon and leaves 20sp on the counter to cover a round for everyone that is now surrounding her, including tip. She then leaves and heads over to the Old Xoblob Shop. She keeps an eye out but in her rush to meet up with her friends, she does less than a stellar job. She can't be completely sure whether or not someone was watching her.
At the shop, Xoblob continues his conversation:
To Mokiakia: "Well, after they beat them up, they carried both fellows that way" He points down the road. "The other man was a bit younger than this Floon, and fitter too. Long light brown hair, wearing black boots, a bright blue tabbard, and pantaloons to match his hair."
To Adrasteia: "Ah, yes, the magnificent color purple. You see, a few years ago I survived the detonation of a gas spore down in the Undermountain. Afterwards, I inherited some stray memories that were not my own. Driven by a compulsion to carve out my own domain, I bought this shop and the color purple called out to me. I felt empowered by it. I felt wiser, older, and even more perceptive, as if I had many eyes" He points to his cheeks, which are decorated with nine purple face-painted eyes. "Kind of like that puppet there" He then points to the purple stuffed beholder hanging atop the window. The puppet has one big eye and mouth, and its head is covered in thick, fleshy stalks instead of hair. Each stalk ends in a smaller eye. “No relation to the eye tyrant hanging in the window! I bought that afterwards... Anyway, buying anything? You owe me at least some business after all of this sharing I just did, right?”
LORE BOX (A LONG HISTORY IN BRIEF - PART 2 OF 4 AS WRITTEN BY VOLO)
War between orcs and elves in lands farther north drove hordes of trolls south to claw at the fledgling city, and amid this danger, Nimoar died of old age. Many bloody struggles unfolded between local folk and trolls, until the magic of a youth named Ahghairon turned the fortunes of war against the “everlasting ones,” which were destroyed or scattered. Ahghairon improved slowly in skill and power with the passage of the years, until he became a great mage. He is said to have discovered a supply of potions of longevity, or learned the art of making such, for he lived on and on, still physically in his prime for decade after decade.
A History of Waterdeep: Age Two, The Lords’ Rule Begins records that in the year 1032 DR, Ahghairon (then in his 112th winter) argued with Raurlor, who was then Warlord of Waterdeep. Raurlor wanted to use Waterdeep’s acquired wealth and strength of arms to create a northern empire. Ahghairon defied him before all the people, and Raurlor ordered the mage to be chained. But when Ahghairon magically turned aside all who sought to lay hands on him, Raurlor struck at the mage with his own sword. Ahghairon then rose into the air, just out of reach, and used his magic to transmute Raurlor’s blade into a hissing serpent. When the serpent struck Raurlor, he died in full view of his shocked followers.
Ahghairon then gathered the leaders of Waterdeep’s armies and powerful families. While runners sought to bring them to the castle, flames roared and crackled in the empty warlord’s throne at Ahghairon’s bidding, so that none could sit there. Then, when the gathered host of worthies met in the audience chamber, the wizard seated himself on the flaming throne. Immediately the fires died away, leaving both the throne and Ahghairon unharmed.
From this seat — the very one on which the Open Lord sits to this day — Ahghairon decreed how the city would be governed. While he would sit as lord openly, a council of other lords of nearly equal power would rule with him. But the identity of those other lords would be hidden even from each other, thus preventing any of them from being approached and influenced by bribe or threat. So it was that Ahghairon established Waterdeep’s system of governance.
Ahghairon was instrumental in establishing many of Waterdeep’s other institutions, such as its black-robed magisters, its Griffon Cavalry, and the city’s many guilds. The first Open Lord ruled wisely for over two centuries before the magic sustaining his health failed. He now lies entombed in his tower, which you can still see standing in the courtyard of the Palace of Waterdeep. Beware that you don’t approach too close, however, lest you stumble into the invisible barrier — a “force cage,” I am told — that surrounds the tower.
Are there any clear prices listed for any of the items? Are there any books?
"Thank you for sharing with us what you know, friend."
I want to run an Arcana check searching for magical items, symbols, planes of existence and inhabitants in the shop. 5
"The beholder puppet is very interesting. Where did you find it?" I ask. (I like to collect creepy things.)