Summer

Summer in Waterdeep

Two months in Waterdeep have flown by.  The unseasonable heat and activity has driven customers to your newly opened tap room.  Business is good and, under Uumaga’s stewardship, the place has never looked better.  Success, of course, comes at a price and the price has been high.  Uumaga’s expense account is deeply in the red and debts continue to compound.  If it were not for the generosity of Lord and Lady Cassalanter, who fronted you the initial loan when Mirt withdrew his patronage, you would not have gotten off to the strong start that you have.  Still, the brisk business has not been enough to begin to pay back your debts and your thoughts turn toward earning more gold.  The guilds of Waterdeep do not accept IOUs.

Uumaga’s training as a Geisha proved extremely valuable as she took charge of refurbishing Trollskull Manor and preparing it to operate as a tap house.  She hired a hard working group of Halflings to help operate the place and, since the grand opening, has seen the establishment filled each and every night.  While the business has been a success so far, it has not been without incident.  Rats in great number had begun to appear in the food storage areas and even, on several occasions, in the crowded common areas.  A rumor quickly circulated that the tap house was rat-infested.  Emmik Frewn of Frewn’s Brews took the opportunity to advertise the cleanliness and lack of rats at his tavern and managed to steal a significant portion of the clientele.  One patron, admittedly drunk, claimed to have seen a huge rat walking on two legs near the back of the establishment just a few days ago.

A slack-jawed, dead-eyed human associated with the Guild of Butchers, named Justyn Rassk, continued to press for “gratuities” above and beyond what is required by the guild for the delivery of meat.  He’s made several veiled threats to Uumaga about the continued quality of the meat should she not pay.  Uumaga promises that she can handle a petty thug like Justyn, however.

Davian Targana

Davian has continued to pursue his interest in the Harpers, even with the disapproval of their leader, Mirt.  Renaer Neverember had been instrumental in this endeavor and arranged a second meeting with the famous Mirt.  Though Mirt was less than enthusiastic to meet with Davian again, he accepted his blame in the Blue Alley incident involving the unicorn statue.  Perhaps it was guilt, or Renaer’s insistence, but Mirt invited Davian to lunch at one of the most expensive restaurants in Waterdeep, the Crown and Scepter.  The lunch went well and, though Mirt expressed concern at Davian’s change of appearance, agreed to sponsor him with the Harpers.  In the following weeks, Davian performed a series of tasks for Mirt and the Harpers, including a clandestine meeting with a talking horse who spies for the Harpers and clearing out a gazer who had become trapped in the home of a friend of Mirt’s.

As Mirt and Davian continued to work together, it was clear to Davian that he and Mirt were growing closer and that Mirt was gaining a newfound respect and trust in him.  It seemed strange to Davian, however, when he was approached by a servant of the Cassalanters named Willifort Crowelle, who warned Davian that his association with Mirt was not without risk as Mirt had been showing signs of increasing mental instability with the passing years.  Crowelle suggested that if Davian were truly interested in helping Waterdeep then he should meet with Lord and Lady Cassalanter who, through their generosity and philanthropy, are doing more for the poor and downtrodden in Waterdeep than the Harpers have ever done.  He gave Davian a card and told him to call upon his Lord and Lady at a future time.

 Yasuo Shimazu

 When Yasuo was elevated to full Samurai there were certain benefits and disadvantages that were not readily apparent at first.  On the one hand, he now had more time to devote to his own interests and hobbies, but on the other he no longer had access to his Senpai's financial managers.  To his very great relief Uumaga assumed these responsibilities in addition to her duties involved in running The House of Spirits, the groups new bar.

Yasuo and Uumaga's relationship also changed in subtle ways.  She still treats him like a child, which he stoically tolerates out of vast respect, but she also recognizes his new status.  She is less tolerant of others not showing proper respect, just as she is less tolerant of Yasuo not dressing and acting the part to her satisfaction.

A month after Blue Alley, The Kozakuran ambassador announced that his presence in Waterdeep was no longer in the Emperor’s best interest and that the entire retinue would be returning immediately to Kozakura.  Yasuo’s senpai urged him to stay and informed him that his father desired him to experience more of what the west had to offer and that the Emperor would call him to service when the time was right.  Of course, Uumaga insisted on staying as well, which was a great relief to everyone who would have had to travel with her.

Rumors spread quickly throughout Waterdeep that Lady Cassalanter, the ambassador’s host and sponsor, had somehow insulted him personally, though nobody with knowledge of the incident would speak of it.

In the weeks following the departure of his countrymen, Yasuo was befriended by a famous Waterdhavian warrior named Meloon Wardragon, who had taken a great interest in his “knighting” and to the tales of his heroism.  Over drinks, one evening, at the Trollskull tap room, Meloon spoke to Yasuo of an organization run by the Blackstaff herself, Vajra Safahr, called The Grey Hands.  He spoke of their devotion to keeping Waterdeep safe from all manners of threats and invited him to join.  Should he prove worthy, he might even one day be elevated to the elite group within the Grey Hands called Force Grey, who act as a strikeforce for the Blackstaff and perform missions both rewarding and dangerous that call for acts of great heroism.  Meloon left only after getting a promise from Yasuo that he would consider the offer.

Thia Liadon

The months following the acquisition of her new familiar, Primara the Blue Unicorn, Thia took the opportunity to explore her new relationship.  Primara is a proud and haughty creature, but one ruled by law and compassion.  She hates being so small and pressed Thia to promise to find a means to restore her to her full, glorious, size.  Still, Primara has grown quickly to love and admire Thia and their bond continues to strengthen.

Primara was surprised to hear of Thia’s interest in the Emerald Enclave, given her lack of association with either the domains of nature or the Fae, but agreed to assist her in finding a representative of that organization.  To that end, Thia and Primara tracked down and introduced themselves to Melannor Fellbranch, the groundskeeper of the Phaulkonmere Estate in Waterdeep.  Melannor is a half-elven Druid who organizes the small cell of the Emerald Enclave in and around Waterdeep.  She was delighted to hear Thia’s story and regaled her with tales of her mother and the heroic deeds she had performed for the Enclave in the years before Thia’s birth.  While Melannor could not usually grant membership to someone like Thia, her association and acceptance by a powerful Fae creature like Primara allowed her to bend the rules on this occasion and offer Thia full membership, should she desire it.  During this meeting, an animal messenger, a cat named Scraps, delivered an important message to Melannor that some outlying farms were being terrorized by living scarecrows.  Melannor asked Thia and Primara to handle it, both as a test of their might and as a favor.  Thia handled the situation as a season member of the Enclave would have and left the living scarecrows burning like pyres in the farmer’s fields.

Quinn Alimar

Quinn’s role in the Blue Alley adventure drew quite a bit of attention to the Church of Tempus and they were happy to accept that one of their finest, bravest priests had no small hand in destroying a centuries-long curse upon the city of Waterdeep.  The High Sword himself, Warlyon Revenmar, promoted Quinn to the rank of Stalwart and awarded him the Golden Hammer of Tempus for meritorious bravery and service to the Lord of Battle.  The ceremony, held at the Field of Triumph, was attended by numerous Lords and Ladies and even the Open Lord, herself, Laeral Silverhand.  As a result of his promotion, Quinn’s duties within the church changed dramatically.  No longer could such a famed and decorated priest minister at the Field of Triumph.  Instead, Quinn was given command of the entire gladiatorial operation and assumed command of 20 priests, including Stalwart Freddert Coyle, who had previously been his supervisor.  Such a quick promotion was met with skepticism and outright hostility by those who suddenly found themselves under the command of someone previously as low as Quinn in the command structure.

In the weeks following his promotion, Quinn found himself drawn into what appears to be escalating tensions between two of Waterdeep’s more notorious factions.  Fenton Oakheart, a member of the Xanathar’s Guild, approached Quinn for help against the Zhentarim, who have been acting strangely hostile in a way that was out of character for their standard operations.  He was also approached by his old friend, Yagra Stonefist, who claimed to work for the representative of the true Zhentarim in Waterdeep.  She informed Quinn that there was a new, splinter group calling themselves the Zhentarim and that group is not associated with the real organization.  That splinter group, however, was aggressively pursuing some agenda and warring with the Xanathar’s Guild.  Yagra begged Quinn to meet with her master and hear his proposals.  Quinn, ever skeptical and cautious, did not agree to help either party...yet.