Waterdeep: Camel Heist (2020)

Dekhan will take 4th watch.

Roll a perception check, please.

1

perception 20

Dekhan, you stroll the empty halls and corridors of Cragmaw Keep, surveying the destruction you have wrought.  Perhaps King Grol was right, and there are warbands out there who will return to the keep in time, but you see no sign of them this night.  You get the sense that you have dealt the Cragmaw tribe, such as it was, a fatal blow, and one that will have consequences for the region.  Good consequences, you hope, as a threat to trade and travel is removed.  But who can say?

As you do your rounds and pass through one larger room in the north of the keep, you notice a large canvas covering the north wall.  Sensing something odd about its placement, you ove it aside, uncovering a gaping hole leading out of the keep, presumably used by some fleeing goblins some hours earlier.  There's little evidence that it's frequently used, and you replace the canvas for the moment.

Dekhan peers out into the darkness through the canvas before replacing it. Then continues his patrol, running through the events of the assault on the castle. How things transpired and why he could have done differently. He confines his route to just outside Grol’s chambers where his friends are currently resting , coming back to check the canvas frequently.

You each manage to get some sleep this night, though none of you rest well.  Nightmares come to you, and each of those who take a turn on watch will notice that his fellows sleep fitfully, with sharp, sudden movements and inaudible mutterings and murmurings.

Varinth, you point at three hobgoblins and intend to unleash your magic – your wild magic – and turn the battle to your favour.  But it goes wrong, as it always does, as wild magic must.  You feel your body erupt in flame, a wave of heat and light exploding from your body, engulfing everything around.  You see Dekhan boiled alive in his armour, Scupper become ash on the wind, Incantis and Strix are just charred corpses on the ground.  This didn’t happen.  But then, there’s another corpse, a little girl, lying with them.  You wake.

Incantis, Vyerith stands, her dagger at Nena’s throat, the halfling terrified, but silent.  She is able to send you the faintest thought, It’s okay… before the drow slits the girl’s throat.  Thief, the drow says, you will not have it.  It is promised to me!  In the blink of an eye, she is upon you, clawing at you, tearing your flesh, ripping your eyes from their sockets.   Thief, she whispers into your ear as she tears it off.  Thief of Destiny, beware.  As your body falls to the ground, horribly maimed, it occurs to you that none of this happened.  You wake.

Dekhan, you lunge for Vyerith, trying desperately to grab the dagger from her hand. Too slow.  In one fluid motion she slits the dwarf’s throat and throws the dagger at the brother; an instant kill, through the eye.  No hope of healing for either.  The words bubble up from your memory, an elven woman you barely knew: “You will find Rockseeker, and deliver him alive to safety, or bring his body to his family, or you will die in the attempt.”  You failed.  Your first oath, and you failed.  You feel cold nausea grip you and then… it fades.  You know the value of boldness; it will always be part of you.  And this time, the disaster didn’t happen.  This time.  You wake.

Strix, you stand ready to strike the killing blow on the owlbear.  It’s been a tough fight, and you were a little sorry to see Sildar eaten alive.  A little.  But now the time comes to end it; this is what must happen, the strongest will survive.  A little piece of your heart breaks as you regard this strange, monstrous creature, not entirely one thing or another, and you bring your spear down to stab through its brain.  You freeze there for a moment in a dramatic pose, and then allow the spear to slip from your hands.  A familiar, ever present, ever annoying voice comes from the back of your mind:  You do know that none of that really happened, don’t you?  Now, wake up, idiot.  You wake.

Scupper, you hear your companions in the next room call out: What did you find?  You look down at the corpses of the two dwarves, and the bloody dagger in your hand, and smile, satisfied with a job well done.  The map sits neatly in your back pocket; Halia Thornton will pay good money if you give it to her, and the Black – well, it never hurts to have power friends.  Nothing, you call back.  No sign of ‘em, no loot neither.  You slip back out the door and rejoin the party; a tune comes unbidden to you, and you start whistling.  Of course, none of this happened, which is a good thing, right?

In the morning you all awake; you’ve completed a long rest, though you feel a little off, as the memory of the dreams linger.

Everyone is now level four.

Vaz awakens feeling drained but strangely energised.

Are we taking these gentlemen back to Fandy.. Phinta... Town or are we headed straight to the mine?

Insight 19

Arcana 4

In the morning Scupper repeats most of his promise to her...wearing her necklace (and wary of reactions to that as well).

Time's wasting, Vye. Start telling us what you know about the black spider or find yerself screaming yer last hours...

Scupper, you don't notice any particular reaction from Vyerith when you talk about the Black Spider.  The gem in the amulet seems to be an arcane focus.  You get the sense that there might be something more to it, but normally if there were you would be able to learn that from spending time studying it and attuning to it.  The fact that you can't is a little odd.  

In the morning, as you approach wearing the amulet, Vyerith's eyes snap to it immediately and this time she makes no effort to hold the sneer back.  You should hold on to that.  Don't let anyone take it from you.  It's yours now.  

She leans back, uncomfortable with the chains restricting her movement.  Is there anything I can tell you of the Black Spider that is worth my life?  Will anything be enough for you, little beast?  I could tell you his life story, and still you would say, 'Tis not enough', and the flames and the screams would follow.  Am I not right?

"Not true, if you'd met us. All we want is our goal." "Cooperate, and I for one will see you unharmed." It's requiring a lot of willpower for Incantis to show this level of civility to the drow, especially after his nightmare last night, but he means his words.

Whatever... lies... you tell yourselves, you don't need or want any information from me, Vyerith replies without once looking directly at Incantis.  You know already where the Spider is.  You know, more or less, what he has done and what he wants.  What exactly do you want of me?  Why are you not marching to the Wave Echo Cave right now, to rescue yet another helpless, hapless dwarf?

Strix notices the crowd growing around the drow and wander over. 

"Scupps kill?" His head tilts. "Like head. Good shape. Can have? Will boil flesh, discard, no mess, not eat, promise! Make nice eppel... Appl.... Shoulder thing!" He looks over his shoulder in Dekhan's direction. "Hmmm if not kill... Not let go. Danedruss. Mebbe use halffing charm, write sweet note, she join? Or keep. Carry bags. Ronic!"

 He doesn't mention trying to track down the owlbear and use her body as a peace offering. He's not sure how keen the others are on trying to tame the untameable.

While the "Interrogation" is going on, Vaz will go outside and whistle for Soodi. If she comes he will make up a breakfast for the party and something for the Drow.

May I make an insight check?

"We are not marching because we do not yet know what you, an agent of the Black Spider, have as your intentions from here. And we are not marching because of the inhumane condition your captives are in, and because you so injured us in our attempts to free them."

As I've said before, lass. I have no real problem with pirates and thieves and if you'd heard of the Sea Witch, you'd know that. I've dealt with drow and probably will again. So what I want, what would in fact save yer life and even yer pain, is some tangible sensible talk about what we ARE in fact marching into. 

You really want to suffer as opposed te telling me about this spider, his magic, his defenses, his weakness, this bauble about me neck? That sneer tells me I should sell the damn thing and be done with it. Speak te me Vye and tell me what I want. Otherwise the shadows won't hide the tings I'll do. Are ye so disappointed in yer losing the fight that you'd heap unimaginable suffering onto yerself?

Incantis interjects to Scupper, "Might I take a look at that bauble actually?"

Suit yerself, lad. It's doing nothin but feelin' like a rope around me neck right now. You should know, she didn't seem te mind losing it once she saw one o' us wearing it. Take caution.