Waterdeep Dragon Heist - Campaign Thread (DM: Webgambit)

Quote from KestrellKestrell >>

Seeing Vassa otherwise engaged in a heated discussion about magic, Kestrell gets a sly grin on his face and tries to swap hands with Vassa.

Sleight of Hand: 17

OOC: If Kestrell pulls this off, then ends up winning, he plans to tell Vassa what he did and give him the pot.  He's doing it mostly to be mischievous, not to make money.

You quickly and quietly swap the cards and it doesn't appear that Vassa or Phaedra notices, but from the way Silver is looking at you, you're sure he saw you.

Kestrell winks at Silver.

The astonished look from Phaedra at Vassa's retort is replaced by anger as he walks from the tavern, "Mum of mys...your ass...heretic heathen. I won't even bother wasting my breath asking Mystra to take your powers, as even through all magic art flows through her, it would be wasting my time thinking about you. I will instead pray for understanding as to why she would have granted you ANYTHING!"

She slam her hand down on the table, "I said i folded. I will go back to the temple for the night and see both you" her voice slowly fades to her normal tone, her eyes shift back from golden to a light blue "gentlemen tomorrow morning at the manor. Goodnight"

With that she also turns and leave the tavern, walking off in the direction of the Temple of Mystra.

Silver just blinks as he leans over to place his cards in the center, making a dramatic play of it as he goes to swipe back his two silver "I will also fold gentlemen, this game has lost its fun." He will just lean back in the chair and look as Phaedra slams her hand on the table, lifting his glass before she does so none of the wine jumps out "Have a good night Phaedra and see you in the morning." Silver just takes a sip not wanting to get into the middle of the two's argument.

He will just stand up and straighten his weapons "Gentlemen, I will also be making my leave it has been an entertaining night to say the least." with that he downs his wine and goes to get a room at the Portal and pass out for the night.

[OOC]

sleight of hand check: 13

Kestrell, now realizing he swapped hands with Vassa as he was leaving the tavern, just shakes his head and rakes in the pot.

"Goodnight Silver."

Kestrell picks up the items that the rest of the group forgot, pays his dinner bill, and then heads back to their new digs for the night.

Upon striding from the Portal's taproom in embarrassment at his loss of self-restraint, Vassa walks somewhat aimlessley North, eventually finding himself at the juncture of Waterdeep Way and the High Road. Cursing himself for an air-headed fool the last handful of blocks that he had walked, the still tense bard stops to look at the street signs, and in another moment of regretful weakness takes Waterdeep Way into Castle Ward. Passing mansion after mansion, the elaborate villas and walled estates of the city's rich and famous pass by, eliciting only angry stares from the disillusioned half-drow, who is caught up in self-pity and resentful thoughts of which of these luxorious houses Asa's noble family might call home.

Eventually turning off the main thoroughfares onto the smaller and less ostentatious Swords Street, Vassa completes his tour of self-loathing and angst at the unfair world by stopping outside a less ornate, but still gaudy manor home. A passingly familiar building, the undecided half-drow looks to the long sturdy brick fence's far right corner where an old tree stump sits conveniently close to the not-overly-high barrier. Staring out over the iron topped wall towards the distant manse, Vassa can just make out lantern light burning in a few of the house's second story windows, though the one that he stares at for several minutes remains dark and empty. Admonishing himself yet again for his emotional excesses and soft heart, the apparently confused minstrel spins away from the red brick fence and building in a swirl of his travelling cloak, to stride once again South.

An hour since he left the warmth of the Portal's taproom and the company of his friends... and the vexatious cleric... Vassa arrives outside the comfortingly familiar noisy front door of the Angry Coxwain tavern. Pulling his cherished viol from its weatherproof case, the bard has every intention of entering the establishment in an attempt to play away his blues, maybe indulging in a meaningless tryst with some admirer after the performance, when the half-drow's sharp night gaze drifts right towards the wharf, spotting the very pier where he and Kes had first spotted Locky those few nights ago. Temperamentally changing his mind once more, Vassa instead begins to play to himself and the night around him as he walks towards the dark end of the wharf and the accompanying sound of waves gently lapping against the moored boats, floating pier and pebbly shore.

Sitting down at the pier's end with his feet dangling over the water and an imploring gaze at the bright moon overhead, the melancholy bard begins to sing along softly to the bittersweet music of his most prized possession,'

"All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head, I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow..."

[OOC] Caught up in his own dark thoughts and the sombre music that he is playing, Vassa's attention is decidedly elsewhere. perception check (with disadvantage): 8

*Acknowledgement to Gary Jules for this suitably and self-indulgently melancholy song.

After a while, Vassa stops playing and just sits on the pier listening  to the sounds of the water. Eventually he stands, puts his viol away and starts to head back to the Yawning Portal. But as passes the very first alleyway he hears a voice, "Is the darthiir iblith sad tonight? Time to solve his problems." As Vassa turns, he sees an drow walking toward you with a short sword in one hand and shield in the other. Quickly glancing side to side, Vassa sees the the streets are empty save this drow an he. Vassa raises a hand in an effort to forestall violence but the drow lunges forward with an attack.

Attack: 18 Damage: 2

Quick as a viper, the drow's short sword lashes out and cuts a line across Vassa's forearm.

As the surprise attack and stinging bite of the drow's sword steals the witty reply from Vassa's lips, the same intensely angry look that targetted Phaedra earlier resurfaces... this time directed at this seemingly random enemy intent on taking the bard's life. Even as his foe is drawing back his blade for a second strike, an almost wordless hiss of dissonant whispers pours from Vassa's snarling mouth, seeking to cloak and smother his opponent's mind in a painful and horrifying shroud of his own worst nightmares. With an uncharacteristically merciless look on his face, the half-drow draws one of the wicked looking daggers that he had taken from Zemk.

[OOC] The drow must make a wisdom save DC15 or suffer the effects of dissonant whispers and take 13 psychic damage.

Initiative roll: 17

wis save: 20

"Your half-breed magic can't hurt me!" the drow yells as he swings his shortsword again.

Attack: 3 Damage: 1

Despite his own dark, bubbling anger, Vassa notes with concern the ease with which the drow shrugged off his magical assault. Wondering if perhaps his earlier slander against Mystra might not come back to bite him after all, the back-peddling bard ducks the seemingly furious dark elf's sword swing. Suddenly pondering his attackers words and remembering Vassa's first meeting with a certain half-drow rogue, the bard shouts out loudly as though telling a ribald joke to a taproom full of drunk patrons as he again reaches out in an attempt to manipulate his attackers mind,'

"Are you sure that you're actually after me? Maybe you're looking for a different Iblith. I happen to know one. Why don't you wait here, and I'll go get him?

No? Okay then, how about a joke to lighten the mood? Why did the priestess of Lolth marry the myconid? Because he was a real fun-guy!"

[OOC] Vassa casts Tasha's Hideous Laughter requiring the drow to make a wisdom save DC15 or suffer the consequences.

insight check in case required to notice just how easily the drow shrugged of his first magical assault: 17

META: Unfotunatley for Vassa, funny jokes and mind-****ery is about all he's got in his attack arsenal, lol.

wis save: 9

The drow scowls at Vassa, with another insult on his lips when suddenly he falls to the ground laughing uncontrollably.

Quote from WebGambit >>

wis save: 9

The drow scowls at Vassa, with another insult on his lips when suddenly he falls to the ground laughing uncontrollably.

 
Smiling grimly, but feeling more himself again, Vassa sheaths the dagger he was holding and searches the laughing drow, making further jokes and tickling the fellow gently as he does so, before saying as he runs off towards the Portal,'

"I'd say it was a real pleasure meeting you, but that wouldn't stricly be true. I'm sure that I'll see you around though. Chow!"

[OOC] investigation check to pat the drow down and take whatever Vassa finds: 11

You find one shortsword, still the some of your blood on it, four packets of some sort of powder, pouch of bullets similar to those used in a sling, and some sort of weapon seemingly made of wood and a piece of pipe.

Quote from WebGambit >>

You find one shortsword, still the some of your blood on it, four packets of some sort of powder, pouch of bullets similar to those used in a sling, and some sort of weapon seemingly made of wood and a piece of pipe.

 
Vassa pockets his haul, though keeping the shortsword in hand, with the intent on examining it all later. For now the bard is intent on reaching the relative safety of the Portal alive, hopefull that the drow that he enountered doesn't have friends lurking nearby. Pulling the hood of his cloak up to hide the half-drow's relatively distinctive hair and face, Vassa ducks behind a parked wagon quickly to daub some make up onto his cheeks and forehead, before he remerges from behind the conveyance seeming a little shorter, now leaning forward in a hunch and moving with a hitch to his step in a completely different walking motion. Though his head is down, the alert bard's violet eyes are up, constantly scanning the shadowy doorways and alleymouths as he moves through the streets towards his distination.

[OOC] disguise kit (int?) check: 14

deception check (no advantage due to the crappy disguise roll): 13 *Performance is -1 on deception if preferred.

Vassa makes quick time getting back to the Yawning Portal and finds that all his friends have gone to bed.

Quote from WebGambit >>

Vassa makes quick time getting back to the Yawning Portal and finds that all his friends have gone to bed.

 
Sighing with relief as he regains the safety of the Portal's taproom, the weary bard will head to his room to sleep, only pausing before rest to wash the make-up from his face and to examine the four packets of powder that he found and the strange wood & pipe weapon.

[OOC] Not sure if this is another investigation check, or something like Arcana or Nature, but all three are +2, so: 6

As you get a better look at the device you soon figure out that the powder appears to be explosive. After more work you realize that this must be one of those Lantanese pistols you'd heard about. You conclude that explosive powder propels a bullet from the pipe. But you haven't a clue how to load or use it.

Quote from WebGambit >>

As you get a better look at the device you soon figure out that the powder appears to be explosive. After more work you realize that this must be one of those Lantanese pistols you'd heard about. You conclude that explosive powder propels a bullet from the pipe. But you haven't a clue how to load or use it.

The rest of a deep sleep comes slowly to the weary bard, despite his fatigue. For some reason, his last waking thoughts are plauged by dark, faceless figures attacking him and his friends from the shadows. The last thing Vassa sees before sleep claims him, is an image of himself, with a slightly older, harder cast to his features, dressed in a flowing black trenchcoat, the smoking pistol held outstretched in one hand...

[OOC] Holy s.h.i.t.f.u.c.k.!.!.! Dude... what? Seriously? Janie's got a gun? Haha, this could go SOOOO many ways, lol.

Kestrell walks in to their worn out tavern-mansion and looks around for Lif.

"Lif, you around tonight old buddy? Looks like it's just me and you.  There was a...well...I don't know. The rest of the group had a bit of an argument.  The ones that are left anyway."

Kestrell blows out all of the candles and torches and then sets himself up in the corner of the tap room, moving the table and chairs so he has a clear line of site at both entrances and the hatchway in case anything comes out of the basement.  Seeing how dark it is, he gets back up and lights a candle over the main entrance, the back entrance and the bar around the basement hatch.  He settles back down in the corner, long bow with an arrow knocked at his side, and hand crossbow in hand.

"Goodnight, Lif.  Let me know if you see anything."

Phaedra wanders back to the Temple of Mystra to spend the night in its quiet and mystic halls. The priestess will make herself a tea and then spend half an hour in quite reflection on how she could have handled the situation in the Yawning Portal better but also how could someone with so much irreverence be granted any form of magic power. While she maintains in her prayers that she does not doubt the will of Mystra in anyway, or the path the she has send Phaedra on, it is the first time ever that the young cleric does not fully understand why it is her that has been chosen for this task instead of another. As she finishes her prayers, she heads to sleep.