I am running a D&D campaign with my old friends from high school and college. We used to play AD&D until the wee hours back in the 80's. Then life happened and the party ended. Fast forward to this spring and we all find ourselves unemployed with LOTS of free time on our hands. Enter in 5e, Dragon Heist, and video chat. Here is the tale as it happened...
March 19, 2020
Team assembled!
Eedydee Lezshoor - Human Bard (Rob)
Fletcher - Elf Fighter (Richard)
Kelazur - Half-orc Barbarian (Flynn)
K'Shirk - Half-orc Cleric (Japji)
Xirxikas - Tiefling Sorcerer (Melisa)
and....
Macc - Halfling Rogue (Kevin)
Kelazur and K'Shirk are brothers from a far off village in the Savage North, Xirxikas is their adopted sister. Driven from their rural home, they find themselves in the biggest city in the world, The City of Splendors. Fletcher and Eedy, long time Waterdhavians, are drinking pals. The five form a fast friendship and regularly hang out at the Yawning Portal Inn, dreaming of the day they too can take on monsters... Macc, orphaned on the streets of the Dock Ward, regularly spies for Capt. Staget in exchange for the good treatment of his old mentor who languishes in the Castle Ward dungeons. He joins the party with the Watch when they burst in on the Zhent warehouse on Candle Lane...
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Our adventurers have a wild night at the Yawning Portal with a bar brawl and a monster attack. Volothamp Geddarm, author and celebrity, asks the party to find his missing friend Floon Blagamar, last seen at the Skewered Dragon Tavern in the Dock Ward. On the way they meet Capt. Staget cleaning up some gang activity between the Zhentarim and another gang. They also check out Old Xolob's Trinket shop and learn that two red head men were jumped outside his shop last night. At the Skewered Dragon, they meet Solomain Silverings and play a game of Sava. They learn that the ruffians that jumped the two red headed men hang out at a warehouse on Candle Lane.
After a series of unfortunate events, the party engages in pitched combat with 4 hooded Kenku. After slaying all of them, they realize the warehouse is filled with bodies of two rival gangs, one baring the tattoo of the winged snake and the other baring the tattoo of the circle with 10 spokes. Hiding in a closet they find Renaer Neverember, who informs the party that Floon was kidnapped in a case of mistaken identify. Just then, the warehouse doors burst open and armed men rush in shouting "Stand down in the name of the Waterdeep City Watch!"
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Renaer tells our heroes that soon after the Zhentarium brought Floon and he to the warehouse, a larger force of the Xanathar Guild attacked. Floon was mistaken for Renaer and carted off while Renaer hid. He begs the adventures to find Floon. Capt Staget, recognizing Renaer lets our heroes off with a warning. With the only remaining members of the Xanathar Guild dead, Renaer suggests that the team visit Mirt the Moneylender, who has connection with Harper spies. Mirt takes a shine to the heroes, allowing them to rest while his spies figure out what hideout the Xanathar Guild has hidden Floon.
The hideout is rumored to be underground accessible by city sewers. The way is marked by chalk symbols of the circle with 10 spokes. Outside of the hideout the team encounters and defeats a Gazer. Sneaking through the tunnels, the team finds Floon being tortured by a half-orc in tattered robes. They attack the half-orc, only to find a Mind Flayer and an Intellect Devourer in the room as well. The Mind Flayer psionically stuns most of the team and levitates the rest out of harms way. The Intellect Devourer takes over Kelazar's mind and forces him to attack his friends. The Mind Flayer escapes through a magic portal. The team finally finishes off the half orc and the intellect devourer, freeing Kelazar. They escape through a secret passage that pops up in the Peabody's home. The unflappable halflings promise to close up the passageway.
Back at the Yawning Portal Inn, Floon, Renaer and Volo have a tearful reunion. Volo admits he actually doesn't have the promised gold, but he has something better: the deed to a manor on Trollskull Alley...
Session 3 - Trollskull Manor and the Talking Horse
Our adventurers take possession of Trollskull Manor. As Volo hand them the keys, he mentions that the manor is haunted by the poltergeist "Lif", a half-elf bartender, who died in the manor long ago. The heroes inspect the property to find out it's is sorry shape and in need of a lot of repairs. They go out to meet their new neighbors including Pierre Silvermoon (sun elf) of Du Pain Pierre bakery, Socially Havershamble (gnome) of Havershamble's Jewelry and Fine Mechanicals, Artis Appleton (human) and his six sons of Appleton's Fine Comestibles, Tally Fellbranch (half elf) of the Bent Nail carpentry shop, Embric and Avi (genasi) of Steam and Steel weapon smithy, Murgo Bumblestout (halfling) of Trollskull Tailor, and the mean next door neighbor, Erwin Barksdale (human). Broxley Fairkettle, guildmaster of Fellowship of Innkeepers, drops by to extend membership in the guild and to offer assistance with contacting other guild representatives. Membership in the Fellowship is 1 gp per tenday or 10gp for a year membership.
Mirt the Moneylender sends word to meet him at the Lightsinger Opera during intermission and some of the team buy some fancy clothes. Mirt offers the bard, the tiefling, the halfling and the elf membership in the Harpers, a semi-secret organization dedicated to stopping tyrants and helping the disenfranchised. He specifically asks for help with the Xanathar Guild and the Zhentarim network who have been conducting a violent gang war on the streets of Waterdeep. He gives them silver harp pins and their first mission: find a talking horse who has been looking for Zhentarim operatives.
In the meantime the two half-orc brothers run into Yagra Stonefist. She offers the brothers lucrative jobs doing security work. They turn her down. She leaves saying that she won't mention their refusal to her boss, incase they change their mind.
The next day the adventurers take off in search of the talking horse. They hear of a horse called Maxeene that takes itself to work at a dray everyday, driven by Wilbur Post. Wilbur tells them of Mrs Horsemann, who offered to rent her horse for 2sp a day, a deal Wilbur could not refuse. The horse showed up to work everyday on it's own and took herself home in the evenings. Wilbur drops off the heroes at Mrs Horsemann's house on Nag Alley.
Investigating the house, they find it burgled and ransacked. Amongst the papers they find two letters from one Gathgaer Milomynt inviting Mrs. Horsemann to visit his potion shop on Leera’s Alley. Beginning to suspect lycanthropy, they head off to the potion shop. Edi the bard and Fletcher the elf go inside and find a strange contraption in the basement level. Xirxi the tiefling talks to the neighbors and confirms that someone fitting the description of Mrs Horsemann was seen in the company of Gathgaer two days ago. Macc the halfling finds a rathole in the side of the building and scurrys to the lower levels. Through a small opening he sees a room with two cages, one containing a dwarf and another with silver bars holding a small rotund human woman. A rat faced bipedial man guards them.
Tune in next time to find out what happens!
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Fletcher and Edd get the rest of the team to go down and examine the "Magical Brewing Sphere". Much discussion ensues. They decide to send Macc back down the rat hole and make a bunch of commotion at the sphere to draw out the rat faced man, using Xirxi's messaging spell to keep in touch. K'Shirk begins to shout loudly and Macc witnesses the rat faced man exiting though the door way. Macc pops in the room. The dwarf begs to be let free, but Mrs Horsemann warns that the rat man cannot be hurt without silvered weapons. Macc retreats and the adventurers look for silvered weapons. They discover that silvering a weapon is too expensive, they head to the Yawning Portal Inn to find some leads. "Three Strings" the bard reveals that he too is part of the Harpers and returns with some silvered weapons the party can borrow.
Back at Milomynt’s Fine Potions the team send Macc back down the hole and the rest try to figure out the sphere room. They trigger the trap with Edd and Fletcher inside the sphere, K'Shirk, Kelazur, and Xirxi stuck in the hall way. The rat faced man exits again through the door and Macc frees Mrs Horsemann. She transforms only after getting a promise that her lycanthropy remain a secret. In the meantime the rest of the team grapples with the trap. Finally K'shik, Kelazur, and Xirxi find the controls and stop the trap at 90* exposing the opposite doorway for Fletcher and Edd.
Mrs Horsemann and Macc fight the ratman. He dies and turns into a (deceased) halfling. The whole team finally manipulate the device in it's 180* with the bottom hole emptying into the dwarf cage. As soon as the whole team is in the cage room, a man clad in dark robes and holding an unholy symbol opens the other door. He begins casting a spell that makes evil looking spirits surround him. The team attacks taking him down immediately. K'Shirk spares his life and prepares for interrogations.
Mrs Horsemann reveals.... (to be continued)
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 5 - Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?
Our adventurers finished up some business with Mirt, telling him about half the story (leaving out Mrs Horsemann's affliction and the bodies in the cages both dead and alive). Then they spend sometime in Trollskull Manor tidying up and contemplating where to get the funds to fix the place up. The spirit messes with Xirxi in the basement. Kelazur catches one of the Appleton boys purse-nappping and meets Ms. Krinklenose, a local wine merchant. Macc begins to assemble a pack of urchins starting with Jenks. Fletcher and Xirxi do some investigating into Wyverns and Poltergeists. And K'Shirk makes a friend with Wembly the beloved Half-Orc body guard of the jewelry store. Wembly comes to Trollskull Manor desperate for help. The Havershamble's gnome children Daughter Muffle age 8 and son Nifflin age 14 have been kidnapped! Will our adventurer's help?
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Wembly admits he's received the ransom note but hasn't checked on the children nor told the Havershambles. The team takes off to Murkledorn's Academy to learn that the children are indeed missing. They interview the rest of the kids in the school yard to learn that the little gnomes took off with a human woman who was handing out candy. The pop into the Stickie and Sweet to find out the woman who bought candy was an Illuskan (northerner) and had a tattoo on her arm. Tina Toffle, proprietress, mentions that she did see the woman hanging out at the bar next door. At Frewn's Brews, they meet the disgruntled owner, Emmet Frewn who needs to be bribed to give up her name and the part of town she might be in.... Avereen in the Tradesward.
The team decides to check around at the local taverns in the Tradesward. The bard and the tiefling get involved in a game of cards while they pump the locals for information. The half-orc and the halfling check out the caravanserai for clues.
To be continued....
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Mirt the Moneylender asks to invest in Trollskull Manor as he's always wanted a tavern but doesn't want to do any of the hard work. With the funds secure, the renovations are completed and the adventurers have a successful opening night. Whilst the work is being done, the team engages in a few downtime activities. Fletcher goes back to work at fletching, Xirxi begins brewing and cuts a deal with Krinklenose Distributers, Kelazur opens a dice game (and joins the Harpers and agrees to infiltrate the Zhentirum), K'Shirk creates and sells a new line of haircare products for half orcs, and Macc builds a network of urchins in the dock ward and the northward.
After opening night, Mirt asks the team to retrieve an artifact for him, The Celestite Unicorn, located in the mysterious Blue Alley. Word of mouth says that many years ago an evil and reclusive mage constructed Blue Alley for his own amusement. He filled it with rich treasures and deadly traps, and enticed adventurers to brave its dangers while he gleefully watched from a hidden location. Although everyone knows Blue Alley is a deathtrap, it has become a rite of passage for young adventurers seeking to establish a reputation. The dungeon is regularly replenished with treasure, often stolen from the affluent houses of Waterdeep.
The next morning, a little hungover, the party heads out to the Seaward to try their luck in Blue Alley...
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Our plucky adventurers plumb the traps and tricks of the Blue Alley. Beaten but not broken they make their way to a mirrored room containing the Celestite Unicorn. Using the wand of secrets, they reveal that the mirrored walls are a trap and the phrase “Everything you see is mine” appears on the walls. Our clever heroes close their eyes. Kelazor the Barbarian blind folds himself and picks up the statue and walks out of the room. As the team debates where to stay or go, Kelazor hears a voice in his head. The voice says she is a real unicorn named Primara. She was transformed many years ago by an evil enchanter into her present form. She begs the adventurers to find a way to free her and promises to do them whatever favor she can in return. What will our heroes do?
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
The Blue Alley tricks and traps were no match for our plucky adventurers. Eventually they discovered the portal that led to their escape, curiously dropping them in the Yawning Portal Inn. The unflappable Durnan, upon their sudden appearance in his establishment, simply says "I don't want to know". Several patrons eye the group and the large statue they carry. Averinn Windriver, the Zhentarim agent involved in the Havershamble kidnapping, even approaches the party and offers 300 gold dragons for it. Having none of it the party grabs a cab and heads to Phaulkonmere Estate in the Southern Ward.
On route the cab is waylaid by a giant hook monster on the streets of Waterdeep. As half the party rushes to deal with the giant monster, Xanathar thugs smash into the cab and try to grab the Celestite Unicorn. Quick thinking and a few handy spells the party escapes on foot and runs the rest of the way to Phaulkonmere. They are escorted into the lush gardens by Melannor Fellbranch the groundskeeper and introduced to Lady Jeryth Phaulkon of Waterdeep, divine champion of Mielikki. She explains that she will free the unicorn and suggest the party show Mirt the Moneylender "the correct path".
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Outside Phaulkonmere Estate the party catches more Xanathar thugs spying on them, so they head back to Trollskull Manor. Renear Neverember shows up and tells them Mirt is piping mad. Not long after a red faced Mirt bursts into the tavern, screaming at the adventurers for "his" statue. The argument become quite heated. In the end the party learns that Mirt was not betting on their lives in the Blue Alley but using the opportunity to spy on Lady Gralhund, whom he believes is trying to enlist one of the city gangs into helping her become a Mask Lord. Mirt confesses that he wanted the Celestite Unicorn to help him revive his long dead wife in a tearful confession. The adventurers convince him that that is not a good idea. And they leave on good terms.
A month passes with peacefully and Trollskull Manor begins to get a clientele. Though not quite profitable, it seems to do better every week. While the adventurers pursue different activities, they learn some secrets of the city. Macc runs his urchin network and learns that the Xanathar Guild runs the Dock Ward and the Zhentarim run the Trade Ward. A drug called Devil Grass is popular amounst the small folk in the Dock Ward and is very addictive. Kelazour runs the game table and learns about a blood sport run by the Xanathar Guild out of the Hanged Man Tavern in the Dock Ward. Eddy becomes friends with the Tabaxi musician Rolls and gets local musicians to play at the tavern. Xirxi starts a business venture with Rael Krinklenose, the wine merchant. Fletcher becomes friends with Fala Lefaliir the herbalist of Corellon's Crown and learns to make a paralytic poison for arrows. Kshirk continues his haircare product for half-orcs. Though his product is a big hit with half-orcs, he draws the ire of the salon's next door and the Lemuixsisters bad mouth his business, often loudly in the street.
Jael Krinklenose approaches the party and tells them that a shipment of wine is being held in the dock ward and members of the Xanathar Guild are demanding payment. Our adventurers leap into action, eventually turning to Capt Staget of the City Watch. He informs them that he's too busy with the gang ward to deal with it, but tells them that a thug by the name of Lucius Stavos runs a racket out of the Harpoon tavern. The party attempts deception in the bar and spying around the docks and flushes out Lucius. They find the stash of wine and they learn of a midnight meeting of Lucius. With far too much wine to steal back, they settle on staking out the midnight meeting. During the stake out, they realize Lucius is selling small children to the Sea Devils with the help of some ferocious Bug Bears. All hell breaks loose, the Sea Devils and Lucius get away, the Bug Bears are killed or captured and the children, halfling urchins of the dock ward, are saved. Capt Staget and the Watch arrive in time for the mops up. The Watchful Order of Magist and Protectorists start an investigation and Capt Staget covers for the party.
The next day Jael Krinklenose tells the party that her wine has been released and celebrates with a bottle of Elverquisst a fine ruby-colored vintage, "distilled from sunshine and rare summer fruits", and flecked with gold. Just as the toast is given, there is a huge explosion right outside Trollskull Manor...
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
A huge fiery explosion rains death and destruction on a busy morning at Trollskull Alley. Although the Manor is damaged, no-one inside is hurt. But out in the street it's a different story. Eleven dead and countless injured, the party immediately acts to help those around them. Several neighbors are killed including the Lemuix sisters, Rolls the music shop owner, and the Appleton twins. The team begins to gather clues. The City Watch arrives and commandeers Trollskull Manor as a triage center and headquarters. Soon after Renear Neverember arrives with a revelation. The Watchful Order of Magist and Protectors sends in a detective squad. Finally the bodies are taken to the morgue. The adventurers turn to the Harpers for help and break into the funeral home, to cast speak with the dead on some of the victims.
The party heads out the following day to try to figure out what exactly happened on Trollskull Alley. The first go to Renear's home in the Sea Ward. Renear joins them to go to the Ravenhorn estate to question the mourning Lord Ravenhorn. Next they head to The House of Inspired Hands, where they see an automaton on the rooftop release a mechanical bird. Inside they meet the Priestess Valetta and the Nimblewright Nim. They discover that Nim created another automaton who ran away. They are given a Nimblewright Detector and asked to return the missing Nimblewright.
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
The party mulls over the clues they have and debate how to move forward. The Guildmaster of the Righteous Order of Glassblowers, Glaziers, and Spectacle Makers tries to over charge the party for the window replacement, but they have none of it. They convince Broxley Guildmaster of the Fellowship of Inn and Tavern Keepers to intervene and bring the price down. The Watchful Order of Magist and Protectors visits again and following up on the revelation of Dalakar the Gnome being a hireling of Dagult Neverember. They also learn that Urstil Floxen is a known Zhentarium operative and has regular dealings with the Gralhunds. Urstil has not been seen since the fireball incident.
The next day they begin a stakeout of the Gralhunds. Half the team scouts the sewers between Trollskull Alley and Gralhund villa and half the team pay a visit to the Gralhunds under false pretenses. The Nimblewright detector gives a positive result every time they check the villa. One of the urchin spies tells the team that the Zhentarium is planning a raid on the Gralhunds that evening and the team leaps into action. They decide to break into the carriage house. Inside they tie up the stable boy and send the familiar owl to look around. The owl sees the Lady Gralhund and the Nimblewright on the balcony. She hands the nimblewright a large stone and it runs off the property towards the south. Lady Gralhund then draws a rapier and heads inside.
The team decides to go after the Gralhunds. Crossing the yard they are attacked by a Specter and some Two Headed Dogs. The team makes short work of them and heads inside. There they find numerous dead servants and the surviving servants hiding. Eventually they make their way upstairs to a stand-off between the house guard and the Zhentarium thugs, lead by Urstil Floxim. The party helps the Gralhunds house guard cut down the last of Zhenartium. Lady Gralhund accepts the parties help, albeit reluctantly, but with the arrival of the City Watch she sticks to the story that the adventurers were just good neighbors who happened by at her time of need....
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
The party searches for the escaped nimblewright. Checking contacts throughout the city and even riding on the back of a Griffon, they narrow the search down to a dive bar in the South Ward. They learn of an illegal monster fight advertised as "Machine vs Monster".
After scoping out The Red Gauntlet Tavern, the party goes for a three pronged approach... Kelazur and Macc get invitations to the fight, K'Shirk and Fletcher investigate the local sewer, and Xirxi and Eddi watch the street.
Each of the groups find there way to the underground locale with a cage fight venue. The nimblewright is forced to fight an ettin (Oingo Boingo). As the fight progresses and the party leaps into action, chaos ensues. As Oingo Boingo falls dead, Macc presents the nimblewright with the mechanical hummingbird given by Nim. The nimblewright recognizes it and begins to follow Macc.
The party slays and subdues the crowd and runs out of the sewers back to Trollskull Manor. The nimblewright gives a mysterious map of Waterdeep with an X on it and the name Grinda Garloth.
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
The party debates what to do with the Nimblewright and hides it (him?her?) in the upper apartments, though it seems to enjoy working with Gorvas the cook by cleaning dishes and chopping vegetables. Then they begin to investigate who or what Grinda Garloth is; the search takes days of researching court records and shipping manifest, interrogating dockside denizens and other connections.
In the meantime, the adventures pursue a number of activities including promoting Trollskull Manor and personal interests. Trollskull turns a tidy profit. On the holiday of Trolltide, Mirt asks the party to do another Harper mission, helping a "friend" of the Harpers who claims a monster is trying to kill her cat. Heading to the Court of the White Bull, they find that indeed Uza Solizeph does have a monster menacing her cat, a giant eyeball beholder type Spectator but they dispatch it handily. Macc ends up drenched in eye ball goo.
Just as they are leaving triumphant, the Xanathar Guild releases blinded trolls onto public spaces creating havoc. The adventurers leap into action and dispatch the trolls with the same ease as the Spectator. But with a-lot more noise. Between the Fireball and the Shatter Spell, they destroy some private property and generally create a huge spectacle.
The team splits up trying to disappear into the chaos, but KShirk gets picked up by the City Watch, in blatant Half-Orc racism. He spends the night in the dungeon and uses his time to charm the other Half-Orc prisoners. In the meantime, Macc convinces Capt Stagget that KShirk should be released, with a very persuasive argument.
Celebrating the clerics freedom, Mirt stops by to thank the team. He informs them they've risen in the Harper rank and have a new reward: Silver Rewards Membership with the Guild of Apothecaries and Physicians. They need only mention it and they will receive a 20% discount on common and uncommon potions.
Finally their research into Grinda Garloth pays off. They discover that she is living under an assumed name "Mrs Fuzzlebutt" in the Mistward.
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
On the morning of K'Shirks release from gaol, Trollskull Manor gets two visitors. First Sister Valetta, the Dragonborn priestess of Gond, checking on the search for the errant nimblewright. Second, Sgt Saeth and Inspector Barnibus, to warn the party that the law of Waterdeep "is on to them despite having friends in high places."
The adventurers decides to check out Grinda Garloth, who is living under an assumed name in the Mistshore District of the Dock Ward. As they head to towards her bay side residence they discover a gang of Xanathar ruffians trying to knock down her door. As the team approaches a particularly tough looking dwarf with a crossbow where his arm should be orders an attack. Three merrows burst from the water and try to drown the halfling, bard and elf. Macc gets away only to stumble upon a gang of pirates about to attack. Xirxi works some crowd control both via magical and negotiation, to drive off the hordes ready to attack. The half-orcs finally drive off the merrows.
Grinda reveals that the nimblewright did deliver the Stone of Golorr. But she sent it off with her rat familiar to hide it in her family mausoleum in the City of the Dead. She hands the party the key and says she wants nothing to do with the Stone anymore. As a matter of fact, she's leaving town. And she does just that by leaping into a crazy submarine called Apparatus of Kwalish.
The party notices that they are being followed by floating eyeball beholder like monsters, who hide above rooftops. The plan an elaborate ruse with the Appleton boys. Macc and Fletchure sneak into the mausoleum, only to find it's been raided by graverobbers. They find one clue... a very curious looking key. By the time the whole team gets together, a bunch of pale Dueragar along with some scary lizard pets show up and demand the Stone of Golarr. Eventually they are driven away with the help of a Knight of Kelemvor, God of the Dead, who patrols the cemetery.
They make their way back to Trollskull Manor and assign the nimblewright to roof top security detail.
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
The party decides to investigate the key found in the mausoleum. To evade the surveillance of the Xanathar's floating eyeball monsters, they each head out in different directions. Sure enough Kelazur tricks the eyeball into following him, whilst Macc heads out to figure out who made the key. He ends up at a shop called The Unbreakable Lock run by a dwarf, Elaspra Ulmarr. At first reluctant to tell who she made the key for, Macc convinces her with his Harper pin to help him out. She says she installed the lock in a squat in the Southward.
The Eye in the Sky keeps up the spying of Trollskull Manor and the party decides they cannot make another move until it's dealt with. The ranged casters head up to the turret and the rest of the party attempts to trick the monster out of it's hiding spot in the ruined roof of the beauty salon next door. It takes a couple of attempts but they lure it out in the open and blast it out of the sky. Macc gets busted by the Waterdeep Watch for brandishing a weapon on Saurdon Street and has to pay a 10gp fine.
The team heads out to the Southward once they gather up the deflated body of the beast. The rain is oppressive. They enter an old windmill, much depilated, and head up to to the door with the lock. Macc opens the door with Kelazur lurking behind him. The two men inside admit to being grave diggers. They are cowed into reveling that they sell the corpses to a halfling necromancer. They deliver the bodies to the cellar of a shop called Dandy Mops on the Way of the Dragon, the central street in the Trades Ward. They also admit that they did kill a rat holding a stone and gave it to that self same halfling.
The team speeds off to the powdered wig shop. Of course it's still raining. They split up with the tiefling and the halfling heading to the front door to the shop and the rest of the party checks out a nearby sewer. A little obfuscation on the part of both teams and they find themselves in the sewers of Waterdeep once again. They stumble upon a fight in progress in an underground cellar: Bugbears fight undead; a halfling casting cantrips cowers behind the zombies; and a floating eyeball fleeing up a staircase. The team leaps in and begins taking down bugbears, whilst Kshirk and the halfling debate the ethics of necromancy. The dust settles and the little necromancer drops a bomb shell... The floating eye ball took the Stone of Golarr. The team just missed the key to a half a million Gold Dragons by 18 seconds. They race up the stairs in pursuit...
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
The party races up the stair case and bursts into Beacon Street. They spy the eye ball monster and a bugbear, holding The Stone like a wide receiver, sprinting down the lane. Kelazur and Macc race as fast as they can go, the rest of the team lobbing ranged attacks. The wild chase winds it's way through the Trades Ward, with collateral damage to the poor citizens and shop keepers. The party takes down the eyeball monster but the bugbear keeps going. Arrow and spells fly as Kelazur, with his crazy barbarian speed, and Macc, with his wily city knowledge, catches up to the bugbear. The monster, burnt and bloody, is finally put to magical sleep. He falls over and The Stone rolls out of his hand down the cobblestones.
Amongst the chaos of the scene with people screaming and horses bucking and carts toppled, three urchins, still in their Trolltide costumes, dart out and grab the stone, and dash into a near by tower. By the time Kelazur gets inside, the damage is already done. Two of the three children point up the circular stairs with inarticulate cries. When Kelazur and Macc reach the top, three eyeball monsters are zapping poor Squidly, who clutches the stone in his hands.
On the street KShirk, Xirxi and Eddy try to take out the bugbear, but it goes badly. The monster seems to get a second wind from his magical sleep and gets in a few good licks before finally succumbing to the barrage to the horror of the onlookers on Shoor Street. Fletcher sends Miker the familiar owl up into the tower to help Kelazur and Macc.
Macc falls prey to an eye stalk blast and rendered paralyzed. Kelazur fights through the confusion and madness of the eyeball monsters supernatural attacks. Eddy joins the fight in the upper rooms and is hit by an eye ball ray. Miker swoops down and grabs The Stone out of Squiddly's hands and heads out an open window. Eddy, dazed by the confusion spell, takes a shot at poor Miker but fumbles! Miker escapes to safety just as Macc comes to his senses at finishes off an eye ball monster.
Out in the street, the City Watch comes rushing down the street. They spot K'Shirk, as they had just arrested him two nights ago for disturbing the peace, and rush to arrest him again. Just then the remaining eye ball monster flies out the window to catch the owl. The City Watch turns their attention to the sky. Fletcher holding The Stone, Xirxi, and K'Shirk dart into a near by shop. Kelazur runs downstairs, ushers the other kids upstairs, and attempts to hide evidence of their whereabouts. In all the confusion, the party slinks away in the night back to Trollskull Manor.
Deep into the night they study The Stone of Golarr. Kelazur takes the first shot at it, but after an hour is left without a memory of what happened. His brother K'Shirk gives it a try. He mind comes in connection with an alien conscienceness. A strange voice begins to give him visions he can barely comprehend. Slowly the thoughts coalesce into these coherent thoughts:
Under the Pink Flumph Theater in the Castle Ward is the Vault of Dragons. It is sealed by huge adamantine doors with dwarvish runes engraved on it. The runes demand three keys to open the Vault. The three keys are thus:
One where none should be,
or maybe where two should be,
seeking out purity,
in the garden trees.
Who am I?
A tribute to Gond,
yearns to be free,
breaking the bond,
I am a key.
Who am I?
A treasure of gold,
worth nothing to most,
but everything to one.
Who am I?
K'Shirk becomes attuned to The Stone of Golarr.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Detective Baribus arrives at day break with a warrant for the arrest of K'Shirk, Xirxi, Fletcher, and Eedy, bringing with him two troops of the Watch, several members of the Watchful Order of Magist and Protectors, and a member of the Black Robes. He stands on the street and loudly reads out the crimes which include "Murder without cause of a Citizen". The party, who have been awake for 24 hours, leap into action. KShirk casts a sending spell to none other than Jeryth Phaulkon telling her that they have The Stone of Golarr and are being arrested by the Watch.
Seconds later, two buildings over, on the roof, hidden from view from the ruckus in the street, stand Mattrim "Threestrings" Mereg and Murgo the Tailor of Trollskull Alley, gesture to join them. They offer to help the party run away on behalf of the Harpers. Invisibility is casts on the party and the Nimblewright; Macc stays behind to distract Barnibus. The Watch barges into Trollskull Manor, tossing the place and Macc does his best to keep all eyes on him. He is eventually taken away in manacles. As he is put in a paddywagon, he spies Lady Grulhund watching the affair from the street, a slight smile on her face. The rest of the party makes their way to the waiting carriage that the Harpers have prepared. Unfortunately the horses react badly to KShirk and the party is forces underground in the sewers.
Murgo hands the party a note from Mirt, who offers to help by either escorting them to the Castle for arrest, the docks to escape Waterdeep, or to his Mansion to meet The Blackstaff of Waterdeep and seek amnesty. They choose to head to the Mansion. Its take the whole day navigating the sewers, but thanks to KShirks strange effect on animals, their passage is peaceful. Mirt tells them the Blackstaff will meet them the following day, after they clean up from their day in the sewers.
Meanwhile, Macc is tried and convicted for "Hampering Justice", fined 200 gold and put into 10 days of hard labor. While the rest of the party takes perfumed baths and fitted for fancy outfits, Macc is put in a halfling chain gang. He manages with the help of his halfling brethren to slip his manacles, hop the fence and escape the guards. He makes his way to Phaulkonmere Estate. Jeryth is waiting for him. He explains what Kshirk has learned about the Vault of the Dragons and promises to return the gold to the people of Waterdeep. He meets with Celestine the Unicorn. She agrees to help in gratitude to Kelazur for freeing her from her crystal prison. Melannor Fellbranch, groundskeeper of the estate, arranges a carriage to take Macc to Mirt's Mansion.
The Blackstaff offers amnesty to the party if they find and return the half a million Gold Dragons to Waterdeep. KShirk offers the Stone of Golarr to her, but she refuses to touch it, claiming it's better in his hand. "Keep it secret, keep it safe". The team begins to work out how they could possibly get the third key whilst being wanted criminals in Waterdeep. The Blackstaff, "call me Safahr", offers to help by presenting an round stone with an eyeball motif, which will activate the Xanathar's portals. The party has found two so far in Waterdeep. Xirxis heads to the library at Blackstaff Tower to study Beholders and Mindflayers. Macc and Kelazur reach out to their underworld contacts. Fletcher and Eedy seek out magic items. And Kshirk makes sure his tonic operation is continuing without him.
A plan to heist Xanathar's Lair begins to form...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Our plucky heroes begin planning in earnest the heist on Xanathar's Lair. With the help of Mirt, they gather some magic potions and scrolls, and a magic axe for Kelazur. Mirt gives a stack of magic Paper Birds. KShirk activates the Stone of Golorr... He learns that the Stone was once in possession of the Xanathar and kept in a giant fish bowl with Silgar in his inner Sanctum. He also learns that the Stone is actually a terrible monster trapped in the Stone, it considers itself a god and despises Kshirk for his stupidity. Lastly he learns that Thorvin is a dwarf engineer working for the Xanathar building a contraption to pulverized the petrified victims of the Xanathar's rays, deeply regrets his choices in life, and has an albino gazer following him around who's loyalty to the Xanathar is questionable.
The team splits up into two groups: The half-orc brothers and the elf sign up for the gladiator fights and the rogue, bard and sorcerer plan to use the portal. The Stone of Galorr is left in the hands of the Nimblewright at Mirt's Mansion. At Macc's suggestion, Mirt arranges that the dray to take the KShirk be pulled my Mrs Horsemann (instead of a real horse that would react badly to him).
The gladiator team head to the Hangman Tavern in the Dock Ward where Noska happily signs them up for the fights. He blindfolds them in hoods doused in Dust of Confusion, secretly Fletcher sticks Miker in his shirt and wargs to see throw his familiar's eyes. The heist team heads to the Xanathar Hideout in the sewers, meeting little resistance they find the portal, activate it and step though. Once inside, they realize a cocktail party is happening in the Promenade down the hall with lots of people and guards so they dash to a near by staircase and cast invisibility. Hiding in the dark trying to figure out what to do, Noska, his team of henchman with the blindfolded the gladiator team arrive at the portal point. Immediately they head toward the Promenade.
Through Miker's eyes, Fletcher sees the guests for the gladiator fight part ways for an invisible Xanathar to enter the Arena. The crowd includes Drow and Duergar of Skullport, Nobles and Guildmasters from Waterdeep (including Lady Gralhund) as well as Grinda Garloth. Noska leads them to their cell in the Arena and tells them that they are the main attraction and will fight later in the show. They taunt their monster neighbors and hear can hear the crowd cheer and boo the warm up fights.
The heist team heads down the stairs and finds themselves in the kitchens.In an attempt to sneak past the bustling kobolds and gazers, Xirxis accidentally gives away her location. The gazers and kobolds rush to attack but can't find the culprits as they are invisible. Eedy with some cleaver distractions of pepper dust and noise delays attackers enough for the team to escape up a ladder in to the Audience Chamber of the Xanathar. One kobold tries to climb the ladder after them, and they realize they are not alone in the great domed chamber. At the other end of the room stands dark elf and floating monster....
The gladiator team is finally called for their fight to face the crowd favorite team of a minotaur, a half-ogre and an orog. The brothers move quickly into action, getting the jump and dealing some serious damage. As the fight progresses, the crowd begins booing the party and becomes more and more enraged as the monster team is cut down. KShirk begins taunting the crowd, Fletcher begins to spy around to figure out where the invisible beholder is hiding, and Kelazar keeps the fight going. As the last monster is stuck down, the crowd rushes the arena in anger, pandemonium breaks out. Ahmaergo the Major Domo rushes to the fallen minotaur screaming for vengeance, Noska calls out orders but is not heard over the din....
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"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
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I am running a D&D campaign with my old friends from high school and college. We used to play AD&D until the wee hours back in the 80's. Then life happened and the party ended. Fast forward to this spring and we all find ourselves unemployed with LOTS of free time on our hands. Enter in 5e, Dragon Heist, and video chat. Here is the tale as it happened...
March 19, 2020
Team assembled!
and....
Kelazur and K'Shirk are brothers from a far off village in the Savage North, Xirxikas is their adopted sister. Driven from their rural home, they find themselves in the biggest city in the world, The City of Splendors. Fletcher and Eedy, long time Waterdhavians, are drinking pals. The five form a fast friendship and regularly hang out at the Yawning Portal Inn, dreaming of the day they too can take on monsters... Macc, orphaned on the streets of the Dock Ward, regularly spies for Capt. Staget in exchange for the good treatment of his old mentor who languishes in the Castle Ward dungeons. He joins the party with the Watch when they burst in on the Zhent warehouse on Candle Lane...
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 1- The Yawning Portal Inn
Our adventurers have a wild night at the Yawning Portal with a bar brawl and a monster attack. Volothamp Geddarm, author and celebrity, asks the party to find his missing friend Floon Blagamar, last seen at the Skewered Dragon Tavern in the Dock Ward. On the way they meet Capt. Staget cleaning up some gang activity between the Zhentarim and another gang. They also check out Old Xolob's Trinket shop and learn that two red head men were jumped outside his shop last night. At the Skewered Dragon, they meet Solomain Silverings and play a game of Sava. They learn that the ruffians that jumped the two red headed men hang out at a warehouse on Candle Lane.
After a series of unfortunate events, the party engages in pitched combat with 4 hooded Kenku. After slaying all of them, they realize the warehouse is filled with bodies of two rival gangs, one baring the tattoo of the winged snake and the other baring the tattoo of the circle with 10 spokes. Hiding in a closet they find Renaer Neverember, who informs the party that Floon was kidnapped in a case of mistaken identify. Just then, the warehouse doors burst open and armed men rush in shouting "Stand down in the name of the Waterdeep City Watch!"
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 2 - Finding Floon
Renaer tells our heroes that soon after the Zhentarium brought Floon and he to the warehouse, a larger force of the Xanathar Guild attacked. Floon was mistaken for Renaer and carted off while Renaer hid. He begs the adventures to find Floon. Capt Staget, recognizing Renaer lets our heroes off with a warning. With the only remaining members of the Xanathar Guild dead, Renaer suggests that the team visit Mirt the Moneylender, who has connection with Harper spies. Mirt takes a shine to the heroes, allowing them to rest while his spies figure out what hideout the Xanathar Guild has hidden Floon.
The hideout is rumored to be underground accessible by city sewers. The way is marked by chalk symbols of the circle with 10 spokes. Outside of the hideout the team encounters and defeats a Gazer. Sneaking through the tunnels, the team finds Floon being tortured by a half-orc in tattered robes. They attack the half-orc, only to find a Mind Flayer and an Intellect Devourer in the room as well. The Mind Flayer psionically stuns most of the team and levitates the rest out of harms way. The Intellect Devourer takes over Kelazar's mind and forces him to attack his friends. The Mind Flayer escapes through a magic portal. The team finally finishes off the half orc and the intellect devourer, freeing Kelazar. They escape through a secret passage that pops up in the Peabody's home. The unflappable halflings promise to close up the passageway.
Back at the Yawning Portal Inn, Floon, Renaer and Volo have a tearful reunion. Volo admits he actually doesn't have the promised gold, but he has something better: the deed to a manor on Trollskull Alley...
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 3 - Trollskull Manor and the Talking Horse
Our adventurers take possession of Trollskull Manor. As Volo hand them the keys, he mentions that the manor is haunted by the poltergeist "Lif", a half-elf bartender, who died in the manor long ago. The heroes inspect the property to find out it's is sorry shape and in need of a lot of repairs. They go out to meet their new neighbors including Pierre Silvermoon (sun elf) of Du Pain Pierre bakery, Socially Havershamble (gnome) of Havershamble's Jewelry and Fine Mechanicals, Artis Appleton (human) and his six sons of Appleton's Fine Comestibles, Tally Fellbranch (half elf) of the Bent Nail carpentry shop, Embric and Avi (genasi) of Steam and Steel weapon smithy, Murgo Bumblestout (halfling) of Trollskull Tailor, and the mean next door neighbor, Erwin Barksdale (human). Broxley Fairkettle, guildmaster of Fellowship of Innkeepers, drops by to extend membership in the guild and to offer assistance with contacting other guild representatives. Membership in the Fellowship is 1 gp per tenday or 10gp for a year membership.
Mirt the Moneylender sends word to meet him at the Lightsinger Opera during intermission and some of the team buy some fancy clothes. Mirt offers the bard, the tiefling, the halfling and the elf membership in the Harpers, a semi-secret organization dedicated to stopping tyrants and helping the disenfranchised. He specifically asks for help with the Xanathar Guild and the Zhentarim network who have been conducting a violent gang war on the streets of Waterdeep. He gives them silver harp pins and their first mission: find a talking horse who has been looking for Zhentarim operatives.
In the meantime the two half-orc brothers run into Yagra Stonefist. She offers the brothers lucrative jobs doing security work. They turn her down. She leaves saying that she won't mention their refusal to her boss, incase they change their mind.
The next day the adventurers take off in search of the talking horse. They hear of a horse called Maxeene that takes itself to work at a dray everyday, driven by Wilbur Post. Wilbur tells them of Mrs Horsemann, who offered to rent her horse for 2sp a day, a deal Wilbur could not refuse. The horse showed up to work everyday on it's own and took herself home in the evenings. Wilbur drops off the heroes at Mrs Horsemann's house on Nag Alley.
Investigating the house, they find it burgled and ransacked. Amongst the papers they find two letters from one Gathgaer Milomynt inviting Mrs. Horsemann to visit his potion shop on Leera’s Alley. Beginning to suspect lycanthropy, they head off to the potion shop. Edi the bard and Fletcher the elf go inside and find a strange contraption in the basement level. Xirxi the tiefling talks to the neighbors and confirms that someone fitting the description of Mrs Horsemann was seen in the company of Gathgaer two days ago. Macc the halfling finds a rathole in the side of the building and scurrys to the lower levels. Through a small opening he sees a room with two cages, one containing a dwarf and another with silver bars holding a small rotund human woman. A rat faced bipedial man guards them.
Tune in next time to find out what happens!
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 4 - The Magic Brewing Sphere
Fletcher and Edd get the rest of the team to go down and examine the "Magical Brewing Sphere". Much discussion ensues. They decide to send Macc back down the rat hole and make a bunch of commotion at the sphere to draw out the rat faced man, using Xirxi's messaging spell to keep in touch. K'Shirk begins to shout loudly and Macc witnesses the rat faced man exiting though the door way. Macc pops in the room. The dwarf begs to be let free, but Mrs Horsemann warns that the rat man cannot be hurt without silvered weapons. Macc retreats and the adventurers look for silvered weapons. They discover that silvering a weapon is too expensive, they head to the Yawning Portal Inn to find some leads. "Three Strings" the bard reveals that he too is part of the Harpers and returns with some silvered weapons the party can borrow.
Back at Milomynt’s Fine Potions the team send Macc back down the hole and the rest try to figure out the sphere room. They trigger the trap with Edd and Fletcher inside the sphere, K'Shirk, Kelazur, and Xirxi stuck in the hall way. The rat faced man exits again through the door and Macc frees Mrs Horsemann. She transforms only after getting a promise that her lycanthropy remain a secret. In the meantime the rest of the team grapples with the trap. Finally K'shik, Kelazur, and Xirxi find the controls and stop the trap at 90* exposing the opposite doorway for Fletcher and Edd.
Mrs Horsemann and Macc fight the ratman. He dies and turns into a (deceased) halfling. The whole team finally manipulate the device in it's 180* with the bottom hole emptying into the dwarf cage. As soon as the whole team is in the cage room, a man clad in dark robes and holding an unholy symbol opens the other door. He begins casting a spell that makes evil looking spirits surround him. The team attacks taking him down immediately. K'Shirk spares his life and prepares for interrogations.
Mrs Horsemann reveals.... (to be continued)
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 5 - Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?
Our adventurers finished up some business with Mirt, telling him about half the story (leaving out Mrs Horsemann's affliction and the bodies in the cages both dead and alive). Then they spend sometime in Trollskull Manor tidying up and contemplating where to get the funds to fix the place up. The spirit messes with Xirxi in the basement. Kelazur catches one of the Appleton boys purse-nappping and meets Ms. Krinklenose, a local wine merchant. Macc begins to assemble a pack of urchins starting with Jenks. Fletcher and Xirxi do some investigating into Wyverns and Poltergeists. And K'Shirk makes a friend with Wembly the beloved Half-Orc body guard of the jewelry store. Wembly comes to Trollskull Manor desperate for help. The Havershamble's gnome children Daughter Muffle age 8 and son Nifflin age 14 have been kidnapped! Will our adventurer's help?
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 6 - Taking Candy from Strangers
Wembly admits he's received the ransom note but hasn't checked on the children nor told the Havershambles. The team takes off to Murkledorn's Academy to learn that the children are indeed missing. They interview the rest of the kids in the school yard to learn that the little gnomes took off with a human woman who was handing out candy. The pop into the Stickie and Sweet to find out the woman who bought candy was an Illuskan (northerner) and had a tattoo on her arm. Tina Toffle, proprietress, mentions that she did see the woman hanging out at the bar next door. At Frewn's Brews, they meet the disgruntled owner, Emmet Frewn who needs to be bribed to give up her name and the part of town she might be in.... Avereen in the Tradesward.
The team decides to check around at the local taverns in the Tradesward. The bard and the tiefling get involved in a game of cards while they pump the locals for information. The half-orc and the halfling check out the caravanserai for clues.
To be continued....
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 7 - The Grand Opening of Trollskull Manor
Mirt the Moneylender asks to invest in Trollskull Manor as he's always wanted a tavern but doesn't want to do any of the hard work. With the funds secure, the renovations are completed and the adventurers have a successful opening night. Whilst the work is being done, the team engages in a few downtime activities. Fletcher goes back to work at fletching, Xirxi begins brewing and cuts a deal with Krinklenose Distributers, Kelazur opens a dice game (and joins the Harpers and agrees to infiltrate the Zhentirum), K'Shirk creates and sells a new line of haircare products for half orcs, and Macc builds a network of urchins in the dock ward and the northward.
After opening night, Mirt asks the team to retrieve an artifact for him, The Celestite Unicorn, located in the mysterious Blue Alley. Word of mouth says that many years ago an evil and reclusive mage constructed Blue Alley for his own amusement. He filled it with rich treasures and deadly traps, and enticed adventurers to brave its dangers while he gleefully watched from a hidden location. Although everyone knows Blue Alley is a deathtrap, it has become a rite of passage for young adventurers seeking to establish a reputation. The dungeon is regularly replenished with treasure, often stolen from the affluent houses of Waterdeep.
The next morning, a little hungover, the party heads out to the Seaward to try their luck in Blue Alley...
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 8 - Blue Alley
Our plucky adventurers plumb the traps and tricks of the Blue Alley. Beaten but not broken they make their way to a mirrored room containing the Celestite Unicorn. Using the wand of secrets, they reveal that the mirrored walls are a trap and the phrase “Everything you see is mine” appears on the walls. Our clever heroes close their eyes. Kelazor the Barbarian blind folds himself and picks up the statue and walks out of the room. As the team debates where to stay or go, Kelazor hears a voice in his head. The voice says she is a real unicorn named Primara. She was transformed many years ago by an evil enchanter into her present form. She begs the adventurers to find a way to free her and promises to do them whatever favor she can in return. What will our heroes do?
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 9-10 - Phaulkonmere Estate
Yes they escaped.
---
The Blue Alley tricks and traps were no match for our plucky adventurers. Eventually they discovered the portal that led to their escape, curiously dropping them in the Yawning Portal Inn. The unflappable Durnan, upon their sudden appearance in his establishment, simply says "I don't want to know". Several patrons eye the group and the large statue they carry. Averinn Windriver, the Zhentarim agent involved in the Havershamble kidnapping, even approaches the party and offers 300 gold dragons for it. Having none of it the party grabs a cab and heads to Phaulkonmere Estate in the Southern Ward.
On route the cab is waylaid by a giant hook monster on the streets of Waterdeep. As half the party rushes to deal with the giant monster, Xanathar thugs smash into the cab and try to grab the Celestite Unicorn. Quick thinking and a few handy spells the party escapes on foot and runs the rest of the way to Phaulkonmere. They are escorted into the lush gardens by Melannor Fellbranch the groundskeeper and introduced to Lady Jeryth Phaulkon of Waterdeep, divine champion of Mielikki. She explains that she will free the unicorn and suggest the party show Mirt the Moneylender "the correct path".
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 11- A Little Help for a Friend
Outside Phaulkonmere Estate the party catches more Xanathar thugs spying on them, so they head back to Trollskull Manor. Renear Neverember shows up and tells them Mirt is piping mad. Not long after a red faced Mirt bursts into the tavern, screaming at the adventurers for "his" statue. The argument become quite heated. In the end the party learns that Mirt was not betting on their lives in the Blue Alley but using the opportunity to spy on Lady Gralhund, whom he believes is trying to enlist one of the city gangs into helping her become a Mask Lord. Mirt confesses that he wanted the Celestite Unicorn to help him revive his long dead wife in a tearful confession. The adventurers convince him that that is not a good idea. And they leave on good terms.
A month passes with peacefully and Trollskull Manor begins to get a clientele. Though not quite profitable, it seems to do better every week. While the adventurers pursue different activities, they learn some secrets of the city. Macc runs his urchin network and learns that the Xanathar Guild runs the Dock Ward and the Zhentarim run the Trade Ward. A drug called Devil Grass is popular amounst the small folk in the Dock Ward and is very addictive. Kelazour runs the game table and learns about a blood sport run by the Xanathar Guild out of the Hanged Man Tavern in the Dock Ward. Eddy becomes friends with the Tabaxi musician Rolls and gets local musicians to play at the tavern. Xirxi starts a business venture with Rael Krinklenose, the wine merchant. Fletcher becomes friends with Fala Lefaliir the herbalist of Corellon's Crown and learns to make a paralytic poison for arrows. Kshirk continues his haircare product for half-orcs. Though his product is a big hit with half-orcs, he draws the ire of the salon's next door and the Lemuix sisters bad mouth his business, often loudly in the street.
Jael Krinklenose approaches the party and tells them that a shipment of wine is being held in the dock ward and members of the Xanathar Guild are demanding payment. Our adventurers leap into action, eventually turning to Capt Staget of the City Watch. He informs them that he's too busy with the gang ward to deal with it, but tells them that a thug by the name of Lucius Stavos runs a racket out of the Harpoon tavern. The party attempts deception in the bar and spying around the docks and flushes out Lucius. They find the stash of wine and they learn of a midnight meeting of Lucius. With far too much wine to steal back, they settle on staking out the midnight meeting. During the stake out, they realize Lucius is selling small children to the Sea Devils with the help of some ferocious Bug Bears. All hell breaks loose, the Sea Devils and Lucius get away, the Bug Bears are killed or captured and the children, halfling urchins of the dock ward, are saved. Capt Staget and the Watch arrive in time for the mops up. The Watchful Order of Magist and Protectorists start an investigation and Capt Staget covers for the party.
The next day Jael Krinklenose tells the party that her wine has been released and celebrates with a bottle of Elverquisst a fine ruby-colored vintage, "distilled from sunshine and rare summer fruits", and flecked with gold. Just as the toast is given, there is a huge explosion right outside Trollskull Manor...
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 12 - Fireball!
A huge fiery explosion rains death and destruction on a busy morning at Trollskull Alley. Although the Manor is damaged, no-one inside is hurt. But out in the street it's a different story. Eleven dead and countless injured, the party immediately acts to help those around them. Several neighbors are killed including the Lemuix sisters, Rolls the music shop owner, and the Appleton twins. The team begins to gather clues. The City Watch arrives and commandeers Trollskull Manor as a triage center and headquarters. Soon after Renear Neverember arrives with a revelation. The Watchful Order of Magist and Protectors sends in a detective squad. Finally the bodies are taken to the morgue. The adventurers turn to the Harpers for help and break into the funeral home, to cast speak with the dead on some of the victims.
The party heads out the following day to try to figure out what exactly happened on Trollskull Alley. The first go to Renear's home in the Sea Ward. Renear joins them to go to the Ravenhorn estate to question the mourning Lord Ravenhorn. Next they head to The House of Inspired Hands, where they see an automaton on the rooftop release a mechanical bird. Inside they meet the Priestess Valetta and the Nimblewright Nim. They discover that Nim created another automaton who ran away. They are given a Nimblewright Detector and asked to return the missing Nimblewright.
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 13 - Bloodbath at Gralhund Villa
The party mulls over the clues they have and debate how to move forward. The Guildmaster of the Righteous Order of Glassblowers, Glaziers, and Spectacle Makers tries to over charge the party for the window replacement, but they have none of it. They convince Broxley Guildmaster of the Fellowship of Inn and Tavern Keepers to intervene and bring the price down. The Watchful Order of Magist and Protectors visits again and following up on the revelation of Dalakar the Gnome being a hireling of Dagult Neverember. They also learn that Urstil Floxen is a known Zhentarium operative and has regular dealings with the Gralhunds. Urstil has not been seen since the fireball incident.
The next day they begin a stakeout of the Gralhunds. Half the team scouts the sewers between Trollskull Alley and Gralhund villa and half the team pay a visit to the Gralhunds under false pretenses. The Nimblewright detector gives a positive result every time they check the villa. One of the urchin spies tells the team that the Zhentarium is planning a raid on the Gralhunds that evening and the team leaps into action. They decide to break into the carriage house. Inside they tie up the stable boy and send the familiar owl to look around. The owl sees the Lady Gralhund and the Nimblewright on the balcony. She hands the nimblewright a large stone and it runs off the property towards the south. Lady Gralhund then draws a rapier and heads inside.
The team decides to go after the Gralhunds. Crossing the yard they are attacked by a Specter and some Two Headed Dogs. The team makes short work of them and heads inside. There they find numerous dead servants and the surviving servants hiding. Eventually they make their way upstairs to a stand-off between the house guard and the Zhentarium thugs, lead by Urstil Floxim. The party helps the Gralhunds house guard cut down the last of Zhenartium. Lady Gralhund accepts the parties help, albeit reluctantly, but with the arrival of the City Watch she sticks to the story that the adventurers were just good neighbors who happened by at her time of need....
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 14 - Machine vs Monster
The party searches for the escaped nimblewright. Checking contacts throughout the city and even riding on the back of a Griffon, they narrow the search down to a dive bar in the South Ward. They learn of an illegal monster fight advertised as "Machine vs Monster".
After scoping out The Red Gauntlet Tavern, the party goes for a three pronged approach... Kelazur and Macc get invitations to the fight, K'Shirk and Fletcher investigate the local sewer, and Xirxi and Eddi watch the street.
Each of the groups find there way to the underground locale with a cage fight venue. The nimblewright is forced to fight an ettin (Oingo Boingo). As the fight progresses and the party leaps into action, chaos ensues. As Oingo Boingo falls dead, Macc presents the nimblewright with the mechanical hummingbird given by Nim. The nimblewright recognizes it and begins to follow Macc.
The party slays and subdues the crowd and runs out of the sewers back to Trollskull Manor. The nimblewright gives a mysterious map of Waterdeep with an X on it and the name Grinda Garloth.
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 15 - Trolltide
The party debates what to do with the Nimblewright and hides it (him?her?) in the upper apartments, though it seems to enjoy working with Gorvas the cook by cleaning dishes and chopping vegetables. Then they begin to investigate who or what Grinda Garloth is; the search takes days of researching court records and shipping manifest, interrogating dockside denizens and other connections.
In the meantime, the adventures pursue a number of activities including promoting Trollskull Manor and personal interests. Trollskull turns a tidy profit. On the holiday of Trolltide, Mirt asks the party to do another Harper mission, helping a "friend" of the Harpers who claims a monster is trying to kill her cat. Heading to the Court of the White Bull, they find that indeed Uza Solizeph does have a monster menacing her cat, a giant eyeball beholder type Spectator but they dispatch it handily. Macc ends up drenched in eye ball goo.
Just as they are leaving triumphant, the Xanathar Guild releases blinded trolls onto public spaces creating havoc. The adventurers leap into action and dispatch the trolls with the same ease as the Spectator. But with a-lot more noise. Between the Fireball and the Shatter Spell, they destroy some private property and generally create a huge spectacle.
The team splits up trying to disappear into the chaos, but KShirk gets picked up by the City Watch, in blatant Half-Orc racism. He spends the night in the dungeon and uses his time to charm the other Half-Orc prisoners. In the meantime, Macc convinces Capt Stagget that KShirk should be released, with a very persuasive argument.
Celebrating the clerics freedom, Mirt stops by to thank the team. He informs them they've risen in the Harper rank and have a new reward: Silver Rewards Membership with the Guild of Apothecaries and Physicians. They need only mention it and they will receive a 20% discount on common and uncommon potions.
Finally their research into Grinda Garloth pays off. They discover that she is living under an assumed name "Mrs Fuzzlebutt" in the Mistward.
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 16 - Dragon Season
On the morning of K'Shirks release from gaol, Trollskull Manor gets two visitors. First Sister Valetta, the Dragonborn priestess of Gond, checking on the search for the errant nimblewright. Second, Sgt Saeth and Inspector Barnibus, to warn the party that the law of Waterdeep "is on to them despite having friends in high places."
The adventurers decides to check out Grinda Garloth, who is living under an assumed name in the Mistshore District of the Dock Ward. As they head to towards her bay side residence they discover a gang of Xanathar ruffians trying to knock down her door. As the team approaches a particularly tough looking dwarf with a crossbow where his arm should be orders an attack. Three merrows burst from the water and try to drown the halfling, bard and elf. Macc gets away only to stumble upon a gang of pirates about to attack. Xirxi works some crowd control both via magical and negotiation, to drive off the hordes ready to attack. The half-orcs finally drive off the merrows.
Grinda reveals that the nimblewright did deliver the Stone of Golorr. But she sent it off with her rat familiar to hide it in her family mausoleum in the City of the Dead. She hands the party the key and says she wants nothing to do with the Stone anymore. As a matter of fact, she's leaving town. And she does just that by leaping into a crazy submarine called Apparatus of Kwalish.
The party notices that they are being followed by floating eyeball beholder like monsters, who hide above rooftops. The plan an elaborate ruse with the Appleton boys. Macc and Fletchure sneak into the mausoleum, only to find it's been raided by graverobbers. They find one clue... a very curious looking key. By the time the whole team gets together, a bunch of pale Dueragar along with some scary lizard pets show up and demand the Stone of Golarr. Eventually they are driven away with the help of a Knight of Kelemvor, God of the Dead, who patrols the cemetery.
They make their way back to Trollskull Manor and assign the nimblewright to roof top security detail.
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 17 - 18 seconds
The party decides to investigate the key found in the mausoleum. To evade the surveillance of the Xanathar's floating eyeball monsters, they each head out in different directions. Sure enough Kelazur tricks the eyeball into following him, whilst Macc heads out to figure out who made the key. He ends up at a shop called The Unbreakable Lock run by a dwarf, Elaspra Ulmarr. At first reluctant to tell who she made the key for, Macc convinces her with his Harper pin to help him out. She says she installed the lock in a squat in the Southward.
The Eye in the Sky keeps up the spying of Trollskull Manor and the party decides they cannot make another move until it's dealt with. The ranged casters head up to the turret and the rest of the party attempts to trick the monster out of it's hiding spot in the ruined roof of the beauty salon next door. It takes a couple of attempts but they lure it out in the open and blast it out of the sky. Macc gets busted by the Waterdeep Watch for brandishing a weapon on Saurdon Street and has to pay a 10gp fine.
The team heads out to the Southward once they gather up the deflated body of the beast. The rain is oppressive. They enter an old windmill, much depilated, and head up to to the door with the lock. Macc opens the door with Kelazur lurking behind him. The two men inside admit to being grave diggers. They are cowed into reveling that they sell the corpses to a halfling necromancer. They deliver the bodies to the cellar of a shop called Dandy Mops on the Way of the Dragon, the central street in the Trades Ward. They also admit that they did kill a rat holding a stone and gave it to that self same halfling.
The team speeds off to the powdered wig shop. Of course it's still raining. They split up with the tiefling and the halfling heading to the front door to the shop and the rest of the party checks out a nearby sewer. A little obfuscation on the part of both teams and they find themselves in the sewers of Waterdeep once again. They stumble upon a fight in progress in an underground cellar: Bugbears fight undead; a halfling casting cantrips cowers behind the zombies; and a floating eyeball fleeing up a staircase. The team leaps in and begins taking down bugbears, whilst Kshirk and the halfling debate the ethics of necromancy. The dust settles and the little necromancer drops a bomb shell... The floating eye ball took the Stone of Golarr. The team just missed the key to a half a million Gold Dragons by 18 seconds. They race up the stairs in pursuit...
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 18 - The Stone of Golarr
The party races up the stair case and bursts into Beacon Street. They spy the eye ball monster and a bugbear, holding The Stone like a wide receiver, sprinting down the lane. Kelazur and Macc race as fast as they can go, the rest of the team lobbing ranged attacks. The wild chase winds it's way through the Trades Ward, with collateral damage to the poor citizens and shop keepers. The party takes down the eyeball monster but the bugbear keeps going. Arrow and spells fly as Kelazur, with his crazy barbarian speed, and Macc, with his wily city knowledge, catches up to the bugbear. The monster, burnt and bloody, is finally put to magical sleep. He falls over and The Stone rolls out of his hand down the cobblestones.
Amongst the chaos of the scene with people screaming and horses bucking and carts toppled, three urchins, still in their Trolltide costumes, dart out and grab the stone, and dash into a near by tower. By the time Kelazur gets inside, the damage is already done. Two of the three children point up the circular stairs with inarticulate cries. When Kelazur and Macc reach the top, three eyeball monsters are zapping poor Squidly, who clutches the stone in his hands.
On the street KShirk, Xirxi and Eddy try to take out the bugbear, but it goes badly. The monster seems to get a second wind from his magical sleep and gets in a few good licks before finally succumbing to the barrage to the horror of the onlookers on Shoor Street. Fletcher sends Miker the familiar owl up into the tower to help Kelazur and Macc.
Macc falls prey to an eye stalk blast and rendered paralyzed. Kelazur fights through the confusion and madness of the eyeball monsters supernatural attacks. Eddy joins the fight in the upper rooms and is hit by an eye ball ray. Miker swoops down and grabs The Stone out of Squiddly's hands and heads out an open window. Eddy, dazed by the confusion spell, takes a shot at poor Miker but fumbles! Miker escapes to safety just as Macc comes to his senses at finishes off an eye ball monster.
Out in the street, the City Watch comes rushing down the street. They spot K'Shirk, as they had just arrested him two nights ago for disturbing the peace, and rush to arrest him again. Just then the remaining eye ball monster flies out the window to catch the owl. The City Watch turns their attention to the sky. Fletcher holding The Stone, Xirxi, and K'Shirk dart into a near by shop. Kelazur runs downstairs, ushers the other kids upstairs, and attempts to hide evidence of their whereabouts. In all the confusion, the party slinks away in the night back to Trollskull Manor.
Deep into the night they study The Stone of Golarr. Kelazur takes the first shot at it, but after an hour is left without a memory of what happened. His brother K'Shirk gives it a try. He mind comes in connection with an alien conscienceness. A strange voice begins to give him visions he can barely comprehend. Slowly the thoughts coalesce into these coherent thoughts:
Under the Pink Flumph Theater in the Castle Ward is the Vault of Dragons. It is sealed by huge adamantine doors with dwarvish runes engraved on it. The runes demand three keys to open the Vault. The three keys are thus:
One where none should be,
or maybe where two should be,
seeking out purity,
in the garden trees.
Who am I?
A tribute to Gond,
yearns to be free,
breaking the bond,
I am a key.
Who am I?
A treasure of gold,
worth nothing to most,
but everything to one.
Who am I?
K'Shirk becomes attuned to The Stone of Golarr.
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 19 - Waterdeep Code Legal
Detective Baribus arrives at day break with a warrant for the arrest of K'Shirk, Xirxi, Fletcher, and Eedy, bringing with him two troops of the Watch, several members of the Watchful Order of Magist and Protectors, and a member of the Black Robes. He stands on the street and loudly reads out the crimes which include "Murder without cause of a Citizen". The party, who have been awake for 24 hours, leap into action. KShirk casts a sending spell to none other than Jeryth Phaulkon telling her that they have The Stone of Golarr and are being arrested by the Watch.
Seconds later, two buildings over, on the roof, hidden from view from the ruckus in the street, stand Mattrim "Threestrings" Mereg and Murgo the Tailor of Trollskull Alley, gesture to join them. They offer to help the party run away on behalf of the Harpers. Invisibility is casts on the party and the Nimblewright; Macc stays behind to distract Barnibus. The Watch barges into Trollskull Manor, tossing the place and Macc does his best to keep all eyes on him. He is eventually taken away in manacles. As he is put in a paddywagon, he spies Lady Grulhund watching the affair from the street, a slight smile on her face. The rest of the party makes their way to the waiting carriage that the Harpers have prepared. Unfortunately the horses react badly to KShirk and the party is forces underground in the sewers.
Murgo hands the party a note from Mirt, who offers to help by either escorting them to the Castle for arrest, the docks to escape Waterdeep, or to his Mansion to meet The Blackstaff of Waterdeep and seek amnesty. They choose to head to the Mansion. Its take the whole day navigating the sewers, but thanks to KShirks strange effect on animals, their passage is peaceful. Mirt tells them the Blackstaff will meet them the following day, after they clean up from their day in the sewers.
Meanwhile, Macc is tried and convicted for "Hampering Justice", fined 200 gold and put into 10 days of hard labor. While the rest of the party takes perfumed baths and fitted for fancy outfits, Macc is put in a halfling chain gang. He manages with the help of his halfling brethren to slip his manacles, hop the fence and escape the guards. He makes his way to Phaulkonmere Estate. Jeryth is waiting for him. He explains what Kshirk has learned about the Vault of the Dragons and promises to return the gold to the people of Waterdeep. He meets with Celestine the Unicorn. She agrees to help in gratitude to Kelazur for freeing her from her crystal prison. Melannor Fellbranch, groundskeeper of the estate, arranges a carriage to take Macc to Mirt's Mansion.
The Blackstaff offers amnesty to the party if they find and return the half a million Gold Dragons to Waterdeep. KShirk offers the Stone of Golarr to her, but she refuses to touch it, claiming it's better in his hand. "Keep it secret, keep it safe". The team begins to work out how they could possibly get the third key whilst being wanted criminals in Waterdeep. The Blackstaff, "call me Safahr", offers to help by presenting an round stone with an eyeball motif, which will activate the Xanathar's portals. The party has found two so far in Waterdeep. Xirxis heads to the library at Blackstaff Tower to study Beholders and Mindflayers. Macc and Kelazur reach out to their underworld contacts. Fletcher and Eedy seek out magic items. And Kshirk makes sure his tonic operation is continuing without him.
A plan to heist Xanathar's Lair begins to form...
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer
Session 20 - Spring Madness - Part 1
Our plucky heroes begin planning in earnest the heist on Xanathar's Lair. With the help of Mirt, they gather some magic potions and scrolls, and a magic axe for Kelazur. Mirt gives a stack of magic Paper Birds. KShirk activates the Stone of Golorr... He learns that the Stone was once in possession of the Xanathar and kept in a giant fish bowl with Silgar in his inner Sanctum. He also learns that the Stone is actually a terrible monster trapped in the Stone, it considers itself a god and despises Kshirk for his stupidity. Lastly he learns that Thorvin is a dwarf engineer working for the Xanathar building a contraption to pulverized the petrified victims of the Xanathar's rays, deeply regrets his choices in life, and has an albino gazer following him around who's loyalty to the Xanathar is questionable.
The team splits up into two groups: The half-orc brothers and the elf sign up for the gladiator fights and the rogue, bard and sorcerer plan to use the portal. The Stone of Galorr is left in the hands of the Nimblewright at Mirt's Mansion. At Macc's suggestion, Mirt arranges that the dray to take the KShirk be pulled my Mrs Horsemann (instead of a real horse that would react badly to him).
The gladiator team head to the Hangman Tavern in the Dock Ward where Noska happily signs them up for the fights. He blindfolds them in hoods doused in Dust of Confusion, secretly Fletcher sticks Miker in his shirt and wargs to see throw his familiar's eyes. The heist team heads to the Xanathar Hideout in the sewers, meeting little resistance they find the portal, activate it and step though. Once inside, they realize a cocktail party is happening in the Promenade down the hall with lots of people and guards so they dash to a near by staircase and cast invisibility. Hiding in the dark trying to figure out what to do, Noska, his team of henchman with the blindfolded the gladiator team arrive at the portal point. Immediately they head toward the Promenade.
Through Miker's eyes, Fletcher sees the guests for the gladiator fight part ways for an invisible Xanathar to enter the Arena. The crowd includes Drow and Duergar of Skullport, Nobles and Guildmasters from Waterdeep (including Lady Gralhund) as well as Grinda Garloth. Noska leads them to their cell in the Arena and tells them that they are the main attraction and will fight later in the show. They taunt their monster neighbors and hear can hear the crowd cheer and boo the warm up fights.
The heist team heads down the stairs and finds themselves in the kitchens.In an attempt to sneak past the bustling kobolds and gazers, Xirxis accidentally gives away her location. The gazers and kobolds rush to attack but can't find the culprits as they are invisible. Eedy with some cleaver distractions of pepper dust and noise delays attackers enough for the team to escape up a ladder in to the Audience Chamber of the Xanathar. One kobold tries to climb the ladder after them, and they realize they are not alone in the great domed chamber. At the other end of the room stands dark elf and floating monster....
The gladiator team is finally called for their fight to face the crowd favorite team of a minotaur, a half-ogre and an orog. The brothers move quickly into action, getting the jump and dealing some serious damage. As the fight progresses, the crowd begins booing the party and becomes more and more enraged as the monster team is cut down. KShirk begins taunting the crowd, Fletcher begins to spy around to figure out where the invisible beholder is hiding, and Kelazar keeps the fight going. As the last monster is stuck down, the crowd rushes the arena in anger, pandemonium breaks out. Ahmaergo the Major Domo rushes to the fallen minotaur screaming for vengeance, Noska calls out orders but is not heard over the din....
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." – William Gibson, Neuromancer