The Start of Something “Good”
The gang decided it was time to tear up Waterdeep in Dragon Heist
They all met as level-1s in the Yawning Portal for some drinks and shenanigans. Not long into the night, our resident bard used a Thunderclap spell to break up a fight between a half-orc regular and local thugs.
Great for them (rolling a successful DC (not shown))
Bad for me (first roll of the night) for the thug who tried to escape a face beating from Yagra, the half-orc.
However, all of the excitement garnered some unwanted attention...
As the thugs hastily make their escape, a troll emerged from Undermountain. A group of stirges have used the troll as a smorgasbord, but they were ready for some new blood (no pun intended). Our wolf born homebrew made short work of the attacking stirges, while the rest of the party witnessed Durnan, the tavern owner, make short work of the troll.
In the aftermath, the party was greeted by Volothamp Geddarm, a traveling writer and chronicler (self-imposed, of course). He made a deal with the party for ten dragons (gold pieces. Yes, I was disappointed as well) for the knowledge of whereabouts of his friend, Floon Blagmaar.
Imagine. The gang with this times ten..........
Apparently, the two had been partying and gambling in the Dock Ward two nights prior; a shady hole-in-the-wall called the Skeward Dragon. He left him early in the evening and hasn’t heard of him since, so he is fearing the worst. The party obliges, and the hunt for Floon is on.
The Dock Ward is a fisherman’s paradise. It rests directly on the Sword Coast, where trade and commerce is convinently possible. Unfortunately, our story takes place at the end of Uktar (November in the Gregorian calendar), so winter is in full force, leaving the streets covered in blankets of snow and a chill wind coming in from the ocean. It does not deter the gang, nor the vicious gang war that is taking over the streets of Waterdeep.
The gang happens upon the City Guard interrogating three thugs amist a dozen corpses. Our Paladin used his Order of the Gauntlet badge, which gave some information about the tensions between the Xanathar Guild and the Zhentarim. The party left and continued to the Dragon.
A stuffed beholder hanging in the window of the Old Xoblob Shop caught the eyes of the passing adventurers. Curious, they entered to find what could be described as the Spencer’s of Waterdeep; a useless knickknack shop with a single shopkeeper:
A deep gnome that ironically changed his name to match the store: Old Xoblob. The gang decided to take a look around, inspecting the beholder and discovering it was similar to a tracking device. While one party member purchased a voodoo doll for the dog familiar, a charm spell was attempted on Xoblob to ascertain the exact effect of the beholder, which failed.
So, they decided to do the only thing they knew how to do next:
Trigger initiative. The fisherman of the group snagged Xoblob in his fishing net, allowing the party to escape. However, they should’ve ran further away than just the next alley over. Not long after, two members of the Xanathar Guild appeared and demanded the return of the beholder.
Trigger initiative part 2. The wolf born cut one bandit down to size, then the other was given the Ace Ventura treatment: an arrow to one knee, and a spear to the other.
Two drunken fishermen witnessed this, so they ran off to alert the guards, which cut the interrogation short. The only information they extracted was how the feud between the Zhentarim and Xanathar started: a keepsake of Xanathar went missing, presumably taken by the Zhentarim. Xanathar slaughtered their peace party, ending the impending truce between the two.
With that information, the thug was released, who ran right into the approaching guards. An easy escape, right?
Wrong. Remember, it’s winter. Winter brings snow. Snow leaves tracks. The party split like buckshot, which allowed everyone to effectively avoid, and as one PC did, intimidate the guards.
The gang met up at the Skeward Dragon. Think Moe’s from the Simpsons: a small, after-work bar where fishermen come to drink and stare blankly at the bar before them. With the parting of some gold, the bartender said that Floon was here two nights ago with Volo. After Volo had left, Floon met another friend: Raenar Neverember, the son of the former Open Lord of Waterdeep. He said the two continued to drink and cause trouble, which followed them after they left.
“They look to be members of the Zhentarim, which are known to frequent a warehouse on Candle Lane. Just look for the snake symbol on the door.”
So, what happens next? Will the gang find Floon and get paid? How bad will the repercussions be for intimidating the City Guard?
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK TO FIND OUT!!!!
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