Xoblob picks up a thick bound journal from behind his desk and explains: "I'm not much of a reader myself, but if it is a book that you want, well, this here is a diary written in a mysterious language. It is yours if you can pay for it. Like everything else here in the store, I charge a random number of dragons (gold coins) for it." He then pulls up a six-sided die from his pocket. "Luck will determine how much you'll pay for the item you have chosen, but we'll roll the die only after you have agreed to purchase an item." He smiles widely: "So, should I roll for this diary here?"
Adrasteia has been keeping an eye out on Xoblob, but his somewhat erratic behavior and mannerisms make him a hard person to read (that was a poor insight roll, unfortunately.)
Mokiakia walks up to one of the shelves and looks over a few of the items. She concludes that many, but not all of the items being displayed here have some sort of minor enchantment on them. Even so, they are mostly useless in her opinion. There could be a couple of exceptions. For instance, those "orbs that aid with navigation," among other items, could potentially have some use. Without casting specific magic-finding or magic-identifying spells however, one cannot be sure of what they are getting.
Xoblob tells Sim: "Oh no no... just a puppet that caught my attention in the market. I felt it represented my increased sense of perception after the incident. I also call it Xoblob... hihihi" He laughs, thinking it to be a hilarious name choice.
LORE BOX (A LONG HISTORY IN BRIEF - PART 3 OF 4 AS WRITTEN BY VOLO)
Within the barrier surrounding the Ahghairon tower lie additional protective wards, as demonstrated by the floating bones of the last person who tried to defy them. The name of this poor soul has been lost to time, but the miscreant was likely a wizard who sought to steal the magic treasures that had been entombed with their former owner. Now they hang in the air beyond the invisible force cage in rough semblance of their natural position, occasionally displaced temporarily by strong winds or mischievous children with long sticks.
Ahghairon’s wise rule is celebrated on the first day of Eleasis, which has come to be known as Ahghairon’s Day.
Many significant events stand out in Waterdeep’s history. But none have had so great an effect on daily life than the three apocalyptic periods known as the Time of Troubles, the Spellplague, and the Sundering — the most recent (and hopefully final). On all these occasions, the actions of gods at war with one another led to the loss or the twisting of magic in the world. During the Time of Troubles, Waterdeep stood at the center of events. But the effects of the more recent crises can still be seen in the city today, even though they occurred a great distance from where Waterdeep stands.
When the gods walked among mortals during the Time of Troubles, they were cast down to the world by the mysterious Overgod Ao in 1358 DR. Until then, none but the gods had known of Ao’s existence, and since then, we have learned little more. As all know, the crisis began with the theft of the Tablets of Fate by the vile and ambitious gods Bane and Myrkul, later joined by Bhaal. These mystic artifacts supposedly determine the extent of the gods’ power, and dictate how they use that power. As punishment for this affront, Ao cast down the gods (or the ones that humans worshiped, at any rate) and then demanded that they return the tablets to him.
But Ao was not omniscient, it seems, nor overly wise. The gods didn’t seek out the tablets, and thus it was left to mortal heroes to sort out the mess. They did so, their efforts culminating in Waterdeep. It was on the slopes of Mount Waterdeep that Ao was last seen, when he granted godhood to the human heroes Kelemvor, Midnight (who became Mystra), and Cyric.
It is no surprise, then, that Waterdeep has since attracted a steady stream of pilgrims who worship Midnight at Mystra’s temple and pay homage to Kelemvor in the City of the Dead. It might surprise you, though, to learn that Waterdavians had a short-lived penchant for worshiping Ao. The Cynosure — that great marble-pillared structure on the edge of the Market, now rented out for private and public events — was built as a temple to Ao. But his worship fell from favor when all prayers to him went unanswered, and folk realized they had no idea what he stood for or who he was. You can visit the Cynosure to see sculptures and paintings of all the major participants and events in the Time of Troubles. Entrance is free to the public on any day when no event (such as a meeting of guilds, a noble’s coming-of-age ball, or some such) is scheduled.
I ask him about how those navigational orbs work. Also, I ask him if he has anything that could enhance my sense of smell? I may want to sniff my way to Floon. lol
Xoblob explains that one of the orbs is an Orb of Direction, while the other is an Orb of Time. He tells Mokiakia that they cost 1 and 5golden dragons, respectively, after rolling his die. After that he quickly puts the die in his pocket.
Turning to Adrasteia, he says "And the diary, I'll let it go for another..."He rolls another die and ends his sentence " ...6golden dragons."
LORE BOX (A LONG HISTORY IN BRIEF - PART 4 OF 4 AS WRITTEN BY VOLO)
In the Year of Blue Fire (1385 DR), the Spellplague gripped the world. None knew it at the time, but it has since been divined that Cyric’s long hatred for Mystra boiled over and led to his murder of the goddess of magic. I was absent from the world at this time — indisposed by the force of an imprisonment spell. Elminster has since explained the events to me, but I must confess that much of what he said made little sense. It was a long lecture having something to do with stars, “crystal spheres,” and “demiplanar reality mirrors.” Suffice it to say, parts of our world switched with parts of another one, and magic was again disrupted.
During this period, the powerful magical fields that protect and affect Waterdeep became unstable. This led to the disastrous activation of most of Waterdeep’s amazing walking statues during an earthquake. In the years before, the walking statues were often hidden on the Ethereal Plane, to be called forth only in times of great peril. Many in the city doubted that such massive, sapient constructs were even real, let alone that they guarded the city invisibly. The Spellplague confirmed their existence for all to see, though, and each carved a swath of destruction through Waterdeep before it was stopped. Now the walking statues stand about the city in various states of readiness or disarray — one of the most obvious of Waterdeep’s so-called splendors.
After the Spellplague came the Sundering. Elf scholars insist on calling it the Second Sundering, asserting that the creation of Evermeet thousands of years ago was a similar happening. Regardless of the name you give it, the event that unfolded beginning in 1482 DR was the result of another world — called Abeir, I am told — passing again into our own. The gods were once more cast into the mortal realm, this time embodied in mortal beings known as Chosen. The old troublemaker Ao seems to be the cause of it all, though why he chose to cast down the gods was a matter of dispute even among those entities while they were with us.
Apparently, all of this was foreseen by Waterdeep’s legendary wizard Khelben Arunsun, and it was only through his wisdom and the efforts of Elminster, Laeral Silverhand — now the Open Lord of Waterdeep — and a handful of others that the world was saved. According to Elminster, Ao remade the Tablets of Fate as a result, restoring the divine order and separating Abeir from Toril. But take that as you may. According to that roguish longbeard, he saves the world without anyone noticing every other month or so.
Based on Xoblob's pricing system, I decide not to ask him about buying the puppet, even though it would be pretty cool next to my talking doll. I wait for my friends to finish their transactions.
I am interested in buying the Orb of Direction but would like to use my persuasion to convince him that I should pay the price his die rolls but in Silver 11 and that my Mage Hand will do the rolling, in case this die does something unforseen.
Xoblob: "No heckling, but if you are willing to re-roll that 1 for the orb, then I'm willing to re-roll the 6 for the diary. What's business without a bit of chance, after all?" He then places a shiny die with rounded edges on the table. "Two rolls... whichever hand you'd like to do it with."
The gnome is fine with receiving the amount in silver instead, as long as it is the equivalent amount. Mokiakia rolls once and Adrasteia rolls another. Sim watches.
LORE BOX (CITY WATCH TALK)
Waterdeep is, by and large, the most civilized city on the Sword Coast. Yet civilized doesn’t mean safe, nor does it mean easy to navigate. Many day-to-day elements of life in Waterdeep that residents take for granted are, to new arrivals, a bevy of wonders and dangers not seen in any other settlement within a thousand miles. If you need help, you should ask a member of the City Watch, but you should be ready for their lingo. Members of the City Watch employ a sort of slang in dealing with the public. If you are a visitor, it behooves you to know what they mean.
“What befalls?” means “Someone tell me what’s going on here.”
“Hold!” means “Don’t move a muscle.”
“Down arms!” means “Drop your weapons.”
“Talk truth!” means “Answer me” or “Tell the whole story.”
“Robes” references the black robes — in other words, one of the magisters. “Do we need robes here?” or something similar should be taken as a threat.
(@All: Hmm... I meant Adrasteia can re-roll the in-game six-sided die that Xoblob rolled to determine the price of the diary, not the out-of-game persuasion d20 roll. It doesn't matter how well you haggle, Xoblob is not one for changing the price determined by luck. But that 23 did convince him to roll the six-sided die again, and he is giving Adrasteia the honor of rolling it herself (i.e. you can roll a d6 on the dice roller to mimic Adrasteia doing the same in-game). The same goes to Mokiakia and the orb).
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
I pay my 1GP and take the navigational orb. Taking deeper inspection of his "multiple" eyes, I want to roll an insight check about this character 10. Also, I want to roll a [Tooltip Not Found] to recall anything related to black winged snakes or armor. 16
Xoblob: "Ah, it looks like luck is on my side. You also rolled a six! Well, here's the diary"
-> Adrasteia should add a mysterious diary to her inventory, and remove 6gp. I recommend adding it to the "Other Possessions" section.
The gnome then accepts the 1gp payment for the Orb of Direction from Mokiakia. During the transaction, she attempts to read into Xoblob's facial expressions but his blank expression followed by a series of random nervous ticks make him a hard one to pin down. Giving up on reading the gnome and focusing on his words instead (history check), Mokiakia recalls that the Zhentarim mercenaries represent their organization with the winged snake symbol.
-> Mokiakia should add a Orb of Direction to her inventory, and remove 1gp.
LORE BOX (ZHENTARIM)
Also known as the Black Network, this organization behaves much less secretively in Waterdeep than their usual approach in many other cities and towns throughout Faerûn. In Waterdeep, the Zhentarim have an open recruitment policy. Anyone can join the mercenaries. Tenacity and loyalty are highly valued (but not essential) traits in new members.
The Zhentarim are a extensive organization that trades mercenaries and goods (including weapons) for profit. It has long sought to gain a larger presence in Waterdeep, but the strength of the city’s Masked Lords, nobility, and professional guilds makes that difficult. Some factions within the Black Network prefer to work as a shadow organization, resulting in them acquiring quite the dubious reputation throughout the land, whether is it well-deserved or not. Their mercenaries are usually successful in their assigned tasks, so many with the power and/or coin to spare seek their services nonetheless. The Zhentarim in Waterdeep are a fractured organization. While some members seem to seek greater influence and presence in the city's political circles, others behave more like business entrepreneurs, seeking honest work for honest coin.
Not much else is known about the Zhentarim on the surface, as they seem to reserve their secrets, objectives, and plans to their higher ranking members.
Should we head out to the warehouse on Candle Lane where the Zhentarim frequent, or should we try to find the half-orc? We could question her and/or befriend some muscle. I vote for the latter as it may be helpful. However, I have no clue where we could find her.
Finding Yagra is a good thought. I guess we'd want to go back to the Yawning Portal and find out what happened to her when she regained consciousness. If we can't easily find her, we can head to Candle Lane.
Adrasteia agrees with me, so if you're ready, Mokiakia, we can go.
The group spends the next 20 minutes walking back to the Yawning Portal (It'd take closer to 30 if Sim was not so familiar with the Dock Ward). It is late morning now, and the tavern floor is not as crowded as it was the night before. Sure enough, Yagra is sitting in a table by herself looking bored. She feels like one of the regulars, as she is always here when you come by for your friendly nights out. She nods at you as you enter, as does Durnan, the proprietor and bartender.
Bonnie comes over: "Well, hello ladies. I take it your visit to the Skewered Dragon was less than satisfactory? I warned you that place was a dump. Now now, should I get you a table by the stage? Threestrings came in early today. He'll start playing any minute now."
LORE BOX (THE WATCHFUL ORDER OF MAGISTS AND PROTECTORS)
Visitors to Waterdeep: expect to be questioned at the gate, or when you register with a magister, regarding your ability to cast arcane magic. Wizards, sorcerers, and other arcane spellcasters who intend to stay in Waterdeep for any length of time are required to register with the city, and will be strongly encouraged to join the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, headed by the Blackstaff.
Members of the Watchful Order are expected to render service to the city when called upon, acting as temporary members of the City Watch or City Guard. Their expertise often helps investigators determine whether magic was used to commit a crime in the city. Members can also expect to be tapped for assistance during and after fires, natural events that cause multiple casualties, or other nonmagical disasters.
Members of the Watchful Order form a more or less sociable association in the city, working together to keep an eye on any spellcasters who opt not to join their guild. Any havoc caused by a spellcaster in Waterdeep risks drawing the wrath of the Lords of Waterdeep — so it behooves the Watchful Order to watch all its members.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
I nod to Bonnie accepting the table close to the singer. Also, I turn towards Yagra, nod back and using my persuasion I signal for her to join our table 16. Then, I ask: "How are you feeling today? Why did those men attempt to beat you?"
Side note: I want to join the guild of the Watchful Order. What's the process/cost?
On the way back to the Yawning Portal, Adrasteia keeps an eye out. However, as the city streets become more busy in the Castle Ward, it is more difficult to see if anyone has been following the group. She cannot be sure they are not being trailed. Once inside the familiar tavern, Adreateia notices the only patron she recognizes here is Yagra. Other familiar faces belong to the staff (Durnan, Bonnie, Threestrings).
Bonnie takes the group to one of the tables near the stage. Threestrings is setting up with a lute first. Yagra catches Mokiakia's glance and comes over to your table. "Anyone up for a scrap?"she says pointing to her still very bruised and cut face and a wide grin. "Haha... Worry not. It is nothing that I haven't dealt with before. Plenty of grudges against you when you are a mercenary"
(Note: In all likelihood, both Mokiakia and Adrasteia have been registered with the Watchful Order of Magists and Protector since a young age, being from noble families and all.)
LORE BOX (GETTING ABOUT - PART 1 OF 6 AS WRITTEN BY VOLO)
Perambulating is the superior manner of experiencing the city and all its splendors. But if you’ve come with your own conveyance, the weather is inclement, or some other reason drives you to use the roads, the following are facts you need to know.
Street Signs
Thanks to the Scriveners’, Scribes’, and Clerks’ Guild, Waterdeep has a remarkable custom of labeling its streets, and even many of its alleyways and courts. The method of identification varies by ward and neighborhood (including brass plates, carvings in stone, and stencil-painted wooden signs), but street names are typically displayed on the corners of buildings at intersections, roughly a dozen feet above ground. The name of the road you travel on will be on the wall nearest, while the name of the crossing road will be around the corner. Simply ingenious!
Xoblob picks up a thick bound journal from behind his desk and explains: "I'm not much of a reader myself, but if it is a book that you want, well, this here is a diary written in a mysterious language. It is yours if you can pay for it. Like everything else here in the store, I charge a random number of dragons (gold coins) for it." He then pulls up a six-sided die from his pocket. "Luck will determine how much you'll pay for the item you have chosen, but we'll roll the die only after you have agreed to purchase an item." He smiles widely: "So, should I roll for this diary here?"
Adrasteia has been keeping an eye out on Xoblob, but his somewhat erratic behavior and mannerisms make him a hard person to read (that was a poor insight roll, unfortunately.)
Mokiakia walks up to one of the shelves and looks over a few of the items. She concludes that many, but not all of the items being displayed here have some sort of minor enchantment on them. Even so, they are mostly useless in her opinion. There could be a couple of exceptions. For instance, those "orbs that aid with navigation," among other items, could potentially have some use. Without casting specific magic-finding or magic-identifying spells however, one cannot be sure of what they are getting.
Xoblob tells Sim: "Oh no no... just a puppet that caught my attention in the market. I felt it represented my increased sense of perception after the incident. I also call it Xoblob... hihihi" He laughs, thinking it to be a hilarious name choice.
LORE BOX (A LONG HISTORY IN BRIEF - PART 3 OF 4 AS WRITTEN BY VOLO)
Within the barrier surrounding the Ahghairon tower lie additional protective wards, as demonstrated by the floating bones of the last person who tried to defy them. The name of this poor soul has been lost to time, but the miscreant was likely a wizard who sought to steal the magic treasures that had been entombed with their former owner. Now they hang in the air beyond the invisible force cage in rough semblance of their natural position, occasionally displaced temporarily by strong winds or mischievous children with long sticks.
Ahghairon’s wise rule is celebrated on the first day of Eleasis, which has come to be known as Ahghairon’s Day.
Many significant events stand out in Waterdeep’s history. But none have had so great an effect on daily life than the three apocalyptic periods known as the Time of Troubles, the Spellplague, and the Sundering — the most recent (and hopefully final). On all these occasions, the actions of gods at war with one another led to the loss or the twisting of magic in the world. During the Time of Troubles, Waterdeep stood at the center of events. But the effects of the more recent crises can still be seen in the city today, even though they occurred a great distance from where Waterdeep stands.
When the gods walked among mortals during the Time of Troubles, they were cast down to the world by the mysterious Overgod Ao in 1358 DR. Until then, none but the gods had known of Ao’s existence, and since then, we have learned little more. As all know, the crisis began with the theft of the Tablets of Fate by the vile and ambitious gods Bane and Myrkul, later joined by Bhaal. These mystic artifacts supposedly determine the extent of the gods’ power, and dictate how they use that power. As punishment for this affront, Ao cast down the gods (or the ones that humans worshiped, at any rate) and then demanded that they return the tablets to him.
But Ao was not omniscient, it seems, nor overly wise. The gods didn’t seek out the tablets, and thus it was left to mortal heroes to sort out the mess. They did so, their efforts culminating in Waterdeep. It was on the slopes of Mount Waterdeep that Ao was last seen, when he granted godhood to the human heroes Kelemvor, Midnight (who became Mystra), and Cyric.
It is no surprise, then, that Waterdeep has since attracted a steady stream of pilgrims who worship Midnight at Mystra’s temple and pay homage to Kelemvor in the City of the Dead. It might surprise you, though, to learn that Waterdavians had a short-lived penchant for worshiping Ao. The Cynosure — that great marble-pillared structure on the edge of the Market, now rented out for private and public events — was built as a temple to Ao. But his worship fell from favor when all prayers to him went unanswered, and folk realized they had no idea what he stood for or who he was. You can visit the Cynosure to see sculptures and paintings of all the major participants and events in the Time of Troubles. Entrance is free to the public on any day when no event (such as a meeting of guilds, a noble’s coming-of-age ball, or some such) is scheduled.
I ask him about how those navigational orbs work. Also, I ask him if he has anything that could enhance my sense of smell? I may want to sniff my way to Floon. lol
Xoblob explains that one of the orbs is an Orb of Direction, while the other is an Orb of Time. He tells Mokiakia that they cost 1 and 5 golden dragons, respectively, after rolling his die. After that he quickly puts the die in his pocket.
Turning to Adrasteia, he says "And the diary, I'll let it go for another..." He rolls another die and ends his sentence " ...6 golden dragons."
LORE BOX (A LONG HISTORY IN BRIEF - PART 4 OF 4 AS WRITTEN BY VOLO)
In the Year of Blue Fire (1385 DR), the Spellplague gripped the world. None knew it at the time, but it has since been divined that Cyric’s long hatred for Mystra boiled over and led to his murder of the goddess of magic. I was absent from the world at this time — indisposed by the force of an imprisonment spell. Elminster has since explained the events to me, but I must confess that much of what he said made little sense. It was a long lecture having something to do with stars, “crystal spheres,” and “demiplanar reality mirrors.” Suffice it to say, parts of our world switched with parts of another one, and magic was again disrupted.
During this period, the powerful magical fields that protect and affect Waterdeep became unstable. This led to the disastrous activation of most of Waterdeep’s amazing walking statues during an earthquake. In the years before, the walking statues were often hidden on the Ethereal Plane, to be called forth only in times of great peril. Many in the city doubted that such massive, sapient constructs were even real, let alone that they guarded the city invisibly. The Spellplague confirmed their existence for all to see, though, and each carved a swath of destruction through Waterdeep before it was stopped. Now the walking statues stand about the city in various states of readiness or disarray — one of the most obvious of Waterdeep’s so-called splendors.
After the Spellplague came the Sundering. Elf scholars insist on calling it the Second Sundering, asserting that the creation of Evermeet thousands of years ago was a similar happening. Regardless of the name you give it, the event that unfolded beginning in 1482 DR was the result of another world — called Abeir, I am told — passing again into our own. The gods were once more cast into the mortal realm, this time embodied in mortal beings known as Chosen. The old troublemaker Ao seems to be the cause of it all, though why he chose to cast down the gods was a matter of dispute even among those entities while they were with us.
Apparently, all of this was foreseen by Waterdeep’s legendary wizard Khelben Arunsun, and it was only through his wisdom and the efforts of Elminster, Laeral Silverhand — now the Open Lord of Waterdeep — and a handful of others that the world was saved. According to Elminster, Ao remade the Tablets of Fate as a result, restoring the divine order and separating Abeir from Toril. But take that as you may. According to that roguish longbeard, he saves the world without anyone noticing every other month or so.
Based on Xoblob's pricing system, I decide not to ask him about buying the puppet, even though it would be pretty cool next to my talking doll. I wait for my friends to finish their transactions.
I am interested in buying the Orb of Direction but would like to use my persuasion to convince him that I should pay the price his die rolls but in Silver 11 and that my Mage Hand will do the rolling, in case this die does something unforseen.
I too would like to use a persuasion check in an attempt to lower the price of the diary from 6 Golden Dragons to 4 Golden Dragons.23
"I am very intrigued by the journal you have in your possession, friend. Would you perhaps part with it for a more agreeable price?"
Xoblob: "No heckling, but if you are willing to re-roll that 1 for the orb, then I'm willing to re-roll the 6 for the diary. What's business without a bit of chance, after all?" He then places a shiny die with rounded edges on the table. "Two rolls... whichever hand you'd like to do it with."
The gnome is fine with receiving the amount in silver instead, as long as it is the equivalent amount. Mokiakia rolls once and Adrasteia rolls another. Sim watches.
LORE BOX (CITY WATCH TALK)
Waterdeep is, by and large, the most civilized city on the Sword Coast. Yet civilized doesn’t mean safe, nor does it mean easy to navigate. Many day-to-day elements of life in Waterdeep that residents take for granted are, to new arrivals, a bevy of wonders and dangers not seen in any other settlement within a thousand miles. If you need help, you should ask a member of the City Watch, but you should be ready for their lingo. Members of the City Watch employ a sort of slang in dealing with the public. If you are a visitor, it behooves you to know what they mean.
“What befalls?” means “Someone tell me what’s going on here.”
“Hold!” means “Don’t move a muscle.”
“Down arms!” means “Drop your weapons.”
“Talk truth!” means “Answer me” or “Tell the whole story.”
“Robes” references the black robes — in other words, one of the magisters. “Do we need robes here?” or something similar should be taken as a threat.
I reluctantly decide to re-roll my 23. (I'm going to live to regret this.) 19
"I am not one to test what fate has already ordained, but, so be it."
(@All: Hmm... I meant Adrasteia can re-roll the in-game six-sided die that Xoblob rolled to determine the price of the diary, not the out-of-game persuasion d20 roll. It doesn't matter how well you haggle, Xoblob is not one for changing the price determined by luck. But that 23 did convince him to roll the six-sided die again, and he is giving Adrasteia the honor of rolling it herself (i.e. you can roll a d6 on the dice roller to mimic Adrasteia doing the same in-game). The same goes to Mokiakia and the orb).
6
My apologies. Above is my d6 roll.
I pay my 1GP and take the navigational orb. Taking deeper inspection of his "multiple" eyes, I want to roll an insight check about this character 10. Also, I want to roll a [Tooltip Not Found] to recall anything related to black winged snakes or armor. 16
Xoblob: "Ah, it looks like luck is on my side. You also rolled a six! Well, here's the diary"
-> Adrasteia should add a mysterious diary to her inventory, and remove 6gp. I recommend adding it to the "Other Possessions" section.
The gnome then accepts the 1gp payment for the Orb of Direction from Mokiakia. During the transaction, she attempts to read into Xoblob's facial expressions but his blank expression followed by a series of random nervous ticks make him a hard one to pin down. Giving up on reading the gnome and focusing on his words instead (history check), Mokiakia recalls that the Zhentarim mercenaries represent their organization with the winged snake symbol.
-> Mokiakia should add a Orb of Direction to her inventory, and remove 1gp.
LORE BOX (ZHENTARIM)
Also known as the Black Network, this organization behaves much less secretively in Waterdeep than their usual approach in many other cities and towns throughout Faerûn. In Waterdeep, the Zhentarim have an open recruitment policy. Anyone can join the mercenaries. Tenacity and loyalty are highly valued (but not essential) traits in new members.
The Zhentarim are a extensive organization that trades mercenaries and goods (including weapons) for profit. It has long sought to gain a larger presence in Waterdeep, but the strength of the city’s Masked Lords, nobility, and professional guilds makes that difficult. Some factions within the Black Network prefer to work as a shadow organization, resulting in them acquiring quite the dubious reputation throughout the land, whether is it well-deserved or not. Their mercenaries are usually successful in their assigned tasks, so many with the power and/or coin to spare seek their services nonetheless. The Zhentarim in Waterdeep are a fractured organization. While some members seem to seek greater influence and presence in the city's political circles, others behave more like business entrepreneurs, seeking honest work for honest coin.
Not much else is known about the Zhentarim on the surface, as they seem to reserve their secrets, objectives, and plans to their higher ranking members.
Should we head out to the warehouse on Candle Lane where the Zhentarim frequent, or should we try to find the half-orc? We could question her and/or befriend some muscle. I vote for the latter as it may be helpful. However, I have no clue where we could find her.
Finding Yagra is a good thought. I guess we'd want to go back to the Yawning Portal and find out what happened to her when she regained consciousness. If we can't easily find her, we can head to Candle Lane.
Adrasteia agrees with me, so if you're ready, Mokiakia, we can go.
The group spends the next 20 minutes walking back to the Yawning Portal (It'd take closer to 30 if Sim was not so familiar with the Dock Ward). It is late morning now, and the tavern floor is not as crowded as it was the night before. Sure enough, Yagra is sitting in a table by herself looking bored. She feels like one of the regulars, as she is always here when you come by for your friendly nights out. She nods at you as you enter, as does Durnan, the proprietor and bartender.
Bonnie comes over: "Well, hello ladies. I take it your visit to the Skewered Dragon was less than satisfactory? I warned you that place was a dump. Now now, should I get you a table by the stage? Threestrings came in early today. He'll start playing any minute now."
LORE BOX (THE WATCHFUL ORDER OF MAGISTS AND PROTECTORS)
Visitors to Waterdeep: expect to be questioned at the gate, or when you register with a magister, regarding your ability to cast arcane magic. Wizards, sorcerers, and other arcane spellcasters who intend to stay in Waterdeep for any length of time are required to register with the city, and will be strongly encouraged to join the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, headed by the Blackstaff.
Members of the Watchful Order are expected to render service to the city when called upon, acting as temporary members of the City Watch or City Guard. Their expertise often helps investigators determine whether magic was used to commit a crime in the city. Members can also expect to be tapped for assistance during and after fires, natural events that cause multiple casualties, or other nonmagical disasters.
Members of the Watchful Order form a more or less sociable association in the city, working together to keep an eye on any spellcasters who opt not to join their guild. Any havoc caused by a spellcaster in Waterdeep risks drawing the wrath of the Lords of Waterdeep — so it behooves the Watchful Order to watch all its members.
I nod to Bonnie accepting the table close to the singer. Also, I turn towards Yagra, nod back and using my persuasion I signal for her to join our table 16. Then, I ask: "How are you feeling today? Why did those men attempt to beat you?"
Side note: I want to join the guild of the Watchful Order. What's the process/cost?
I want to do a perception check to see if there are any familiar faces and to see if we were followed. 14
On the way back to the Yawning Portal, Adrasteia keeps an eye out. However, as the city streets become more busy in the Castle Ward, it is more difficult to see if anyone has been following the group. She cannot be sure they are not being trailed. Once inside the familiar tavern, Adreateia notices the only patron she recognizes here is Yagra. Other familiar faces belong to the staff (Durnan, Bonnie, Threestrings).
Bonnie takes the group to one of the tables near the stage. Threestrings is setting up with a lute first. Yagra catches Mokiakia's glance and comes over to your table. "Anyone up for a scrap?" she says pointing to her still very bruised and cut face and a wide grin. "Haha... Worry not. It is nothing that I haven't dealt with before. Plenty of grudges against you when you are a mercenary"
(Note: In all likelihood, both Mokiakia and Adrasteia have been registered with the Watchful Order of Magists and Protector since a young age, being from noble families and all.)
LORE BOX (GETTING ABOUT - PART 1 OF 6 AS WRITTEN BY VOLO)
Perambulating is the superior manner of experiencing the city and all its splendors. But if you’ve come with your own conveyance, the weather is inclement, or some other reason drives you to use the roads, the following are facts you need to know.
Street Signs
Thanks to the Scriveners’, Scribes’, and Clerks’ Guild, Waterdeep has a remarkable custom of labeling its streets, and even many of its alleyways and courts. The method of identification varies by ward and neighborhood (including brass plates, carvings in stone, and stencil-painted wooden signs), but street names are typically displayed on the corners of buildings at intersections, roughly a dozen feet above ground. The name of the road you travel on will be on the wall nearest, while the name of the crossing road will be around the corner. Simply ingenious!
I use my charisma to say, we all know you are much stronger than I am anyday. Why did those men attempt to beat you? Do you know them?
I ask Durnan, Bonnie, and Threestrings if any other mischief has happened since the last time we were here.