The First Key

The First Key

Davian

The moment I was compelled by Manshoon’s spell, I could feel my father’s displeasure, and Keilier’s disgust.  Keilier I couldn’t really care less about, but to experience the disappointment that my father would likely have at being forced into doing something against my will, that hurt.  I could hear him now, echoes of the man who tried to steer me down the path of good.  For a time, that pain and the pain of the compulsion spell drowned out Keilier’s rant, the one that was likely just beginning, and I could do nothing more than to reflect back on the events of the past few days.

I thought it’d be tougher to get past that forcefield and into the wizard towers than just digging.  How long could you be in that bubble before running out of air?  What was that thing the cult members were summoning?  Were they summoning it?  Were they keeping it at bay?  That wand we found, is a piece of the wizard who owned it still in it, like this staff and Keilier?  Why was Keilier trapped in the staff?  Was he stupid enough to get caught?  What happens to him if the crystal is destroyed? Ow, stop Keilier, I’m not going to do anything to you. Yet.

Ow, ow! Grr…stop it!  Have to think… Those teleportation circles are nice.  I wonder how many more we’ll find, and what will be guarding the rest.  Hopefully there aren’t any more floating things with flying snakes.

Was that the real Manshoon, or, the last cloned Manshoon anyway?  “You probably failed against a clone.  A Clone! Pitiful.  When I had a body…” “When you had a BODY, what?!” I shot back “…I would have resisted a spell like what he cast”, he spat out completely ignoring my retort “because I’m an actual wizard, not someone who stumbled upon magic.” “Were! Were a wizard! <sigh, massaging temples> What is it now?” “You didn’t even TRY to resist Manshoon.  Are you so daft as to think this is something to toy with?  The consequences if you go against the requirements of his compulsion are SEVERE!”.  “Yes, I realize this, but do you think we’d even be having this conversation if I resisted and he discovered this?  The rock told us we need to complete the same task anyway, so why fight it?”

With that, Keilier seemed to back away, and I didn’t realize until now that the pain from father’s disappointment seemed to have abated as well.  “Fine, you’re stuck now anyway, let’s resolve this as quickly as possible.  I HATE being told what to do, especially by an inferior such as Manshoon.”

“Yes, a mage who escaped death.  Quite inferior.”

Ow! My temples are going to be rubbed raw before I’m free of Keilier.

Quinn 

The Stone of Galorr is now in our possession. When I first held it, I could feel a strange, creeping sensation within my mind. It was mildly unsettling. Thia seemed interested in the academic uses of the stone so I handed it over to her. She began to inspect the stone and I could see in her facial expression the sensation happening that I also had felt. She said it would take some time before being able to use the stone as it needed to create a connection with her.

We each busied ourselves with chores and other matters that needed attending. The next day we came back together to see what the stone could do. Thia informed us that she had bonded with it and knew it would answer three questions a day. Immediately we discussed what should be inquired of the stone. The location of the dragon horde of legends seemed to be a good start.

We asked Thia to pose this question to the stone. It gave us a confusing answer about some key. Within the answer, we could tell there would need to be three keys. The location of this key seemed out of our reach for the moment. Perhaps there was one that was closer and within our abilities. We inquired about the other two keys. More riddles were given in answer.

Fortunately, one of the riddles referred to an abandoned tower within the town. It was home to two mages, one of whom had gone crazy in a rush for power. I truly hope Thia and Davian are not on this path to crazy. I’ve nearly had my fill of mad mages. The tower was, in truth, a pair of towers connected via a walkway. The entire structure had been protected by a magic field put up years ago and had been impenetrable for as long as it had been active. We set out to see if there was a way someone had not discovered.

We approached the towers and indeed found the impenetrable shield to still be in place. I had an idea to see if we could get under it. I took out a shovel and began moving earth. After a few minutes, a pack of kids came by. They informed us that this approach had been tried although the City Watch typically chases off anyone who tried it. I reached into my pouch and took out some copper pieces. Showing the kids the coins, I asked them to make sure the City Watch doesn’t disturb us. They lit up and ran around the tower.

Our work continued digging deeper and deeper. At one point, a commotion was heard around the side of the tower. We smiled to ourselves figuring the kids were earning their coin. After about an hour of labor, the bottom of the shield was found. We opened the hole further and squeezed under the shield.

“Now what?” was the question. We examined the towers for a way in. There was an open-topped walkway between the two towers that appeared to connect the second levels of the towers. That approach seemed promising, allowing us to surprise anyone or anything we might come across. The disadvantage is getting us all up before being noticed. Fortunately all seemed quiet on the grounds contained within the shield so we had little to lose. A quick flip of the grappling hook and up we went without notice thus far.

The smaller tower seemed to be the better choice for initial exploration. I checked the door and found it to be safe and unlocked. We carefully entered the tower. There was a statue of a wizard across the room from us with stairs both ascending and descending. As we all entered the room the statue came to life. It spoke a warning. We all tensed, waiting for a trap to spring or guards to confront us. After what seemed an eternity, neither occurred. Going up looked like the more promising option.

We entered a room that looked like a cross between a bedroom and a library. On the library side, we examined the books on the shelves hoping for something promising. Instead, the books flew off the shelves and began dive-bombing us. This was certainly a distraction, taking us away from our goal of discovering the first key. I ducked and weaved to the stairs across the room and went up to hopefully surprise whatever guards may be up there. I came across a magical room containing a large symbol on the floor. Unfortunately, the small floating ball creature took immediate note of my entrance to the room. It hit me with a paralyzing ray that seized up my muscles. I fell back down the stairs, feeling each hit but being unable to react.

I took note of my friends battling the last of the flying books. I shook the last of the paralyzing effects as they took down the last paged combatant. Quickly sharing what was upstairs, we elected to storm the room and take the creature down before any additional guards appear. We did just that. Yasuo took the lead and the three of us fanned out. After a series of exchanges, the creature was no more. Taking note of the room revealed it to be a teleportation chamber of some sort. The sort requiring a key to operate. This wasn’t a lock that would be picked so we decided to head over to the taller tower, seeing as we’d reached the top of the current tower.

We descended and set off the statue once more. Paying it no mind, we crossed the breezeway to the taller tower. This door was also safe and unlocked. The denizens of these towers must take a lot of comfort in the shield. We opened it and came into a room with a pair of staircases. One ascending, one descending. There were some casual voices coming from downstairs. It was unlikely that there would be anything of interest on the main floor and decided to go up.

Making our way up the tower as quietly as was possible, we came up to a room where three robed figures were standing equally apart around a circle. Each figure had a necklace with a strange symbol on it. More interesting though was the circle which contained a demon. My stomach turned and my teeth gritted at the sight. This work could not be allowed to continue. We charged up the stairs and slew one of the robed figures outright. The other two looked on terrified as the demon broke through the circle and flexed.

A feeling of pure evil and great power could be felt. I set my gaze squarely on the demon and said a prayer to Tempus. The spells came flying from my fingertips as holy bolt after bolt smashed into the demon. The radiant light of Tempus hit the foul creature hard. My friends also poured their collective attacks into the demon until it cried out and faded back to whatever hell it had come. There was no need to wait for any explanation from the other two figures as we spied evil symbols all around the room. Removing such people from the city would be a move to make Waterdeep safer for the citizens.

Taking a breather after the battle, no other guards appeared. We took the necklaces from the figures. Up still seemed to be the path for us seeing as we’ve not come across a key and there are still levels in the upper tower to explore. We navigated across a broken part of the stairs and came into the top room. The stairs led to a semi-circular room with a large, flesh humanoid standing on a plate in front of a door. I further spied holes along the bottom of the wall in the room. Seeing as it was unlikely butterflies would spring from the holes, we elected to stuff them up as best we could. With that done, we had little recourse but to approach the large unmoving figure.

Yasuo led the way as we inched down towards it. All at once, it came to life and stepped off the plate. A hissing sound came from the holes in the floor. A gas began to fill the room, although not as quickly since we filled in the holes. Yasuo performed an amazing feat, getting behind the creature and ended up standing on the original plate. Unfortunately the gas did not stop.

The battle was on. Once again, spells and weapons flew, striking the creature again and again. It took a combined effort but we defeated the fleshy guard. Its bonds fell apart with a last strike and puddled on the floor. We quickly got through the door and slammed it shut behind us, escaping the gas.

We were on the other side of the tower now. It was a small work area which led into a bedroom. We looked in to have our gaze met by a floating skull. Magical energy flowed through the skull as it demanded to know why we had disturbed it. No answer would have satisfied it so we took up our weapons and spells once more. Thia and Davian hit it again and again with their arsenal of acid sprays, freezing rays and magic missiles. Yasuo scored several hits, sending the skull bouncing into the walls. My guiding bolts flew once again, finding their mark. The skull finally shattered and the room became calm.

All of us exchanged looks and decided no one is going to disturb us up here. We took a long rest while examining the contents of the room. Lo and behold, we discovered a key. Thia and Davian determined it must activate the teleport chamber in the other tower. We’d be certain to put their theory to the test once we have had a chance to recover.

No one or thing did disturb us. We descended the stairs and made our way back to the teleport chamber. Thia and Davian set to work, determining how it operated. Once satisfied, they inserted the key and we all stood on the platform. With a quick turn of the key, we were whisked off. The next thing we knew, we were in a strange room with transparent walls. There was a solid door at our front but was regrettably locked and beyond my skill at lockpicking.

Out of one of the walls, we saw a woman in red robes take surprised note of our arrival. She hustled quickly out of the room she was in. There was no other choice but to wait until someone came for us. Someone did indeed come to open the door after a short while.

It was a solitary man dressed in a blue hooded robe. He smiled and gestured for us to follow him. He said our arrival had been expected. All around, the hallway was amazingly clean and lit with the magical glow of sconces placed along the walls. We came into a larger room where our host walked to the center. He turned to face us as the platform he was standing on rose up a bit and a gong was sounded someplace. A wand appeared in his hand and we were in battle once again.

Seeing as our goal here was to find the first key and not battle hosts, I elected to try and see if I could check the doors to our right. My friends had the attention of our host and I had no doubt more trouble would be coming along at any moment. With my eyes on the prize, I ran over and tried the doors. Locked. Damnit, I guess we’ll have to beat this guy and determine our next course of action then.  

This mage was no pushover. Fortunately for us, neither are we. As we engaged in battle, the doors I tried earlier eventually opened. Two more opponents entered and were all too eager to continue the battle. One was the red robed woman we saw earlier. The other was an impossibly fast swordsman. Tempus was watching over us and must have smiled as we claimed victory over our opponents. When the final strike had landed upon our “host”, he turned into water and made a puddle on the floor. They each had a necklace with the same symbol that the demon-summoning robed figures in the tower had. We grabbed them up and made our way down the hallway through the now open set of doors.

It led into a room where two halflings were engaged in some form of martial arts. One of them asked if the situation had been dealt with. I played along and claimed that it had been dealt with. Then they took a closer look at us and inquired as to who we were. We showed them the necklaces to which they appeared satisfied. We made our way around the room as they set back to their practice session.

We entered the room on the other side. It contained a man who looked exactly like our host.

“Manshoon, we presume?” said Thia.

“I was expecting you but have to admit I am disappointed at how long it took for you to come,” said Manshoon.

Davian took note of a mask on Manshoon’s desk. It was the first key mentioned by the Stone of Galorr. Manshoon noticed his interest in it.

“Do you want this mask? It means nothing to me and you can have it. However, I want you all to do something for me,” said Manshoon.

“What do you require?” Yasuo answered.

“I want you to kill Xanathar,” Manshoon stated flatly.

“We have no issue with Xanathar. Why not perform this assassination yourself?” I queried.

“That is not how I operate,” said Manshoon.

“I have worked hard to ensure my existence is nothing more than rumor and hearsay. It is my wish to keep it that way.”

“If we refuse?” quipped Yasuo?

A dark glare was given in answer.

“Do not try me,” threatened Manshoon. “You can walk out of here with the mask and only need to perform this one task. There’s no need to die a needless death now.”

Given our battered condition and knowing our spells were exhausted, we had little choice. We begrudgingly accepted the deal. Manshoon came around and said we would need to take a magical binding vow to ensure our dedication to assassinating Xanathar. If we did not complete this task in one month, we would suffer an agonizing death.

Manshoon began to work his magic. He set to work on each of us in making the vow. I closed my eyes and steeled my mind and heart, asking Tempus to shield me. My soul became a fortress as I felt the spell try to pierce my inner being. A short battle of wills took place before pushing back against the vow. I had resisted the spell. Not wanting to play my hand and allow Manshoon to notice the spell had not worked on me, I made to look serene and accepting of the vow. He appeared to buy it.

“Now that the vow is complete, I can teleport you anywhere you wish to go,” said Manshoon.

We decided it best to return to Trollskull Alley to determine our next course of action. With a quick motion from Manshoon’s hands, we were whisked back home. What have we gotten ourselves into?

Thia

Shortly after we arrived back to our tavern, we were approached by Yagra who requested that we hide other Zhentarim at our establishment. We politely but firmly refused. Zeraj seemed upset by this, apparently because his girlfriend lives across the street. Well then maybe the girlfriend would be willing to hide him and the others. We are already taking a risk by sheltering Yagra, and we’re only doing that because she is a friend of Quinn’s.

Now that we were safely away from scene in the alley, it seemed like a great time to investigate the Stone of Galorr. Primara informed me that she detected the presence of an aberration in the stone. Quinn must have seen my inquisitive expression and he offered me the stone. I took it. I felt something--like a slug--crawling through my mind. The sensation was both disturbing and curious. My mind felt a little less sharp than usual and I didn’t like that one bit. But in the pursuit of knowledge, I would attune to this slimy green stone. We needed to rest, anyway, after our harrowing adventure to acquire it. This was a good opportunity for me to connect with the stone since I need less sleep than the others. I learned that the stone’s name is Galorr. It can be used to cast legend lore and holds three charges, which can be regained once per day.

That evening (we had rested in the middle of the day), the Cassalanters arrived at our tavern wanting to speak with us. Lady Cassalanter did all the talking. She apologized for the incident with her doppleganger butler in the alley, saying that she hadn’t wanted it to go that far. She explained that they were in desperate need of the gold in the hidden vault. She said they had bargained with an entity using the souls of their children as collateral, and they must destroy the gold to fulfil the contract. The Cassalanters requested our help then departed our tavern. I just don’t understand it. Who would bargain using their children's’ souls? Why even bargain with a nefarius entity in the first place, unless it was under duress.  It is challenging to decypher people’s motivations and intentions. I’m finding that there is much to be suspicious about in Waterdeep.

Back to the matter of Galorr. I told my friends about the stone’s abilities and of course the first thing we wanted to know about was the vault. I asked the stone, and it brought to my mind a poem. Something about a tyrant’s love entombed and Myrkul blessed. (Quinn informed us that Myrkul is the god of death.) A vigilant knight that allows kin to pass. An ancient lock that needs three keys. Ending with a warning to not take what’s there. We decided to seek out Renaer for more information, and headed to the Castle Ward. We found him in a bar and not in a frame of mind for intelligent discussions. Renaer invited us to stop by his house the next day.

We arrived at Renaer’s house at noon and started asking questions related to Galorr’s poem. Renaer pressed us to know what this was all about, and after some hesitation, we decided to share that this was related to the vault. It’s just so tricky to determine who to trust. Regarding the part of the poem about the boughs of a vigilant knight, Renaer said that a treant named Sir Oakenheart guards his ancestors’ tomb. Anyone of his mother’s blood can enter freely. Renaer became angry (not at us, but toward his father). He said that his father probably hid what we were looking for in his mother’s tomb. We invited Renaer to accompany us to the tomb when the time came--when we had gathered the three keys.

Speaking of three keys, this was our next question to Galorr. When we were back at our tavern, I asked the stone about the keys. We received a new poem that indicated we would need to go to the sewers to find a pale tyrant. We asked Yagra about a pale tyrant in the sewers and she proceeded to tell us we would need to go far into the sewers. The problem is that there are mages throughout the sewers, scrying for intruders and reporting to Xanathar. Yagra offered to accompany us for 1,500 gold. She mentioned two entrances: one at Skullport and one at an underground river. She also said there was a fighting competition coming up, which would be another way in. It may either get us close enough to Xanathar or act as a distraction. Yasuo volunteered to enter the competition. We decided to return to this subject later and to continue exploring our options.

We decided to ask Galorr about the other two keys. The next clue said that there was a mask of rage in the tower of the brothers mage. Keilier had some helpful information about that, so Davian relayed it to us. Long ago, two brothers in Waterdeep sealed themselves up in Kolat Tower, and may have died there. Over time, Duhlark became paranoid and suspected that his brother,Alcedor, was selling secrets. Alcedor left, but Duhlark remained. Quinn said that the tower is abandoned and surrounded by a forcefield.

The final clue from Galorr talked about a dangerous spice of fire and fury from a distant shore. We decided that of the three clues, we had the most information about the tower and it seemed like the easiest location to get to out of the three. So off we went to the Southern Ward to seek the mask of rage.

Approaching our destination, we could see two dilapidated towers, one tall and one short, connected by a bridge about midway up. We could not see the magic field protecting the place, so Yasuo used his magic blue eye. There was, indeed, a magic wall. It stretched from ground to sky, wrapping all the way around the property. We could see a dead bird here and there near the barrier. We tested it, tossing a stone first and then reaching out to touch it. It was safe. The birds must have died from the force of impact flying into the wall.

Digging at the base of wall, we discovered that the forcefield extends down into the ground. Of course it does. That would have been too easy. Quinn decided we should dig more and see if there was an end to the wall somewhere underground. Some street urchins approached us, interested in our efforts. The children said that people had tried digging before but they had never gotten through, having been caught by guards while still digging. Quinn presented each child with a copper coin, asking them to act as a distraction. The children gleefully ran off. We eventually dug down far enough and found the edge of the magic barrier. The children returned, excited after their successful distraction of the guards and offered to fill in the hole behind us.

We could see lights shining from inside the tower, so it must not be abandoned after all.There was no door at the base of the small tower, so we approached the main building. The door had a complicated lock but Quinn managed to open it. The room we entered contained stacked boxes. They were stamped and looked new. We could hear some men in the next room playing poker. We snuck back outside and decided to climb to the bridge connecting the towers, and enter the smaller building. Yasuo easily climbed a rope to the bridge and pulled the rest of us up.

We entered the small tower through the bridge door. There appeared to be no one in the room except for a statue of a bearded human wizard who was aiming a wand at the door. Upon entering the room, the statue came to life and proclaimed that he was Duhlark Kolat and we should leave or be destroyed. Nothing happened immediately. Yasuo scanned the room with his magic blue eye and saw nothing hidden. We decided to avoid the statue and climb the stairs to the next level.

The next room seemed uneventful. We only saw a bookshelf with Alcedor written above it, and found nothing useful here. We continued to the next room where we saw another bookshelf with Duhlark written above it. These books flew off the shelf and battered us. At this, Quinn ran upstairs and we lost sight of him for a moment, but then he fell stiffly back down the stairs, not moving. The rest of us dealt with the barrage of books. We then took on the flying snakes and spectator that Quinn had roused on the next floor. Davian and Yasuo successfully killed the snakes and I landed the final blow to finish off the spectator. Go team! One fight at a time, Quinn…The room with the spectator contained five chests secured by padlocks. Examining the chests, we discovered that the padlocks were illusions. We decided to come back to these chests later. On the floor was a ring of runes--a teleportation circle--where the spectator had come from. We were unable to activate the circle and since we had run out of rooms to explore in this tower, we headed back to the main tower. On our way, we concluded that the the first level of the smaller tower had been used as a toilet. The stench was terrible. No need to investigate that floor.

We crossed the skybridge to the larger tower. We didn’t see much in the room we entered. Yasuo used his blue eye which revealed invisible stairs leading to the next floor. We found some chests, but there was nothing of interest. Onward and upward. The next floor looked ransacked, with shattered glass, an empty cabinet, and not much else.

We could hear talking coming from the next floor so we crept up silently. There were three men in robes chanting, staring at a demon that was slumped over within a ten-foot circle of runes. We rushed in and attacked the robbed figures. They looked startled and afraid, looking between us and the demon. I think we misunderstood what they had been doing. Rather than summoning the demon, maybe they were chanting to contain it. Once their chanting ceased, the demon roused itself and looked hungry for a fight. But before it could do anything, Primara drove the demon back to its home plane. Relief washed over me. That barlgura demon looked tough, and we didn’t have to fight it! My goodness is Primara powerful. I’m glad she’s with us. A fight ensued with the robbed figures and we defeated them, naturally. They each wore a silver ring with an embossed M on it. We took the rings.

Onward to the next floor. The room we entered had a creaky floor held in place by iron clamps. The floor was detached from the wall. Curious. There were two levers on the walls of this room, as well. Not knowing what else to do, and reluctant to pull the levers, we climbed to a ledge that connected to the next floor. Looking inside the next room, we could see a large creature standing in front of a door. The creature appeared to be pieced together to resemble a large, seven-foot-tall naked man. It was standing on a pressure plate and it did nothing when we entered the room. We could also see small holes along the bottom of the walls. This whole room was a trap and we knew it, but didn’t know what could be done about it.

Thinking back to the previous floor, Davian and I decided to use our mage hand spells to pull the levers and see what would happen. We needed to get through the door that the humanoid monster was guarding. Maybe pulling the levers would reveal a new path. Davian and I positioned ourselves at the entrance to the upper room and peered around so we could direct our mage hands. We pulled the levers. Instantly the floor shot up. Davian reacted in time, but the floor smashed into my head. My vision went black and the pain was unimaginable. The next thing I knew, Primara was standing over me looking horrified. She told me that she had rushed to my aid at once. Thanks to the healing powers of Primara and Quinn, I was well enough to continue. Though I felt ridiculous for having sluggish reflexes.

At this point, our only path lead us through the room that was certainly a trap, past the giant monster (a golem?) and through the door it was guarding. Assuming that the small holes along the walls were part of a trap, we set about plugging them with whatever debris we could find. Then it was time to approach the golem. Yasuo walked forward. The golem came to life and rushed at Yasuo, releasing the pressure plate. Gas started to pour through those small holes in the walls. A fight ensued, naturally, with the added danger of the gas. Thankfully, our efforts to plug the holes seemed to help. Once the golem was defeated, we stepped through the door it had been guarding and took a short rest.

Looking around, we could see a large rune at the end of the room. None of us knew what it was. There was a hidden door in this room which opened into a bedroom. There was a mummified body on the bed. There was also a flaming skull, hovering, that demanded we get out of its house. It shot fiery rays out of its mouth and began to chant something, but we stopped it by force. We then searched the room and found a book titled, The Man from Damara, which contained a small compartment. Inside was Duhlark’s wand! I took it. How exciting! I wonder if I can dual-wield wands. Wouldn’t that be fun?

Having come to the end of this tower and unsure of where to go next, I used the Stone of Galorr to point us in the direction of the key. It pointed toward the bridge, so we made our way back to the shorter tower and to the top floor with the teleportation circle. Before we attempted using the circle, we looted the chests in this room. We found some healing potions, among other things, that might just come in handy wherever the teleportation circle sends us.

We discovered that the silver rings we had taken off of our fallen foes are what operate the teleportation circles. Donning our rings, we stepped into the circle. We appeared in a room with glass walls and purple mist outside them. A woman spotted us, but then she left. She probably went to notify others of our presence. Shortly after that, a man walked in, welcoming us to his sanctum. This appeared to be Manshoon or one of his clones. He offered us a tour and led us to a large room. Looking around, we could see a symbol on the wall of a winged snake biting a coin. There were 12 metal masks hanging on another wall. I felt the Stone of Galorr tugging toward the east, indicating the direction of the key.

Our host stepped over to a plate in the center of the room. Gongs went off. Thus, another inevitable battle ensued. This Manshoon, a simulacrum made from ice, melted into a puddle. A woman strode through the room’s double doors accompanied by a man. She appeared to be a confident swashbuckler and he a mage. They both put up an excellent fight, but we won in the end. Searching our foes, we we found two more teleportation rings like the ones we had used to get here.

We exited the double doors and entered a huge room. The room was beautiful, with alabaster walls and floor. Two halflings were sparring. Time for another fight? Not this time! Quinn handled our brief interaction with these two, making us appear as if we belonged here. They returned to their sparring while we moved on in search of the key.

The next room contained the key, but it also contained Manshoon. A metal mask sat on a table. The Stone of Galorr went crazy, confirming that this mask was the key. Manshoon was expecting us and knew why we were here. A fight, I mean, a conversation ensued. Manshoon tossed the mask to Quinn. Was it really going to be that easy? Not quite. In exchange for the mask, Manshoon wanted us to kill Xanathar. We didn’t appear to have a choice in the matter. Manshoon was clearly stronger than all of us and we were already tired from the day’s battles. To ensure that we would follow through with our end of the deal, Manshoon magically bound us to the following terms:

1. We may not mention Manshoon’s name.
2. We may not act against any Zhentarim.
3. We must kill Xanathar within 30 days.

Manshoon offered to teleport us anywhere we choose. We thought about teleporting to the next key, but we were in no condition to continue battling without a rest, first. We therefore requested to be teleported to our Trollskull Manor taphouse, The House of Spirits.

We appeared at Gralhund Villa, instead...

Agents of Manshoon

Long live the Zhentarim

Urstul Floxin

Urstul Floxin was Manshoon's right-hand man in Waterdeep.  Embedded in the Grahlund Villa, Urstul was killed in combat with the PC's.  Or was he?

Kaevja Cynavern

Kaevja is an ex-Red Wizard of Thay who has become one of Manshoon's most prized lieutenants.  She confronted the PCs in the entry hall of Manshoon's extradimensional sanctum and was laid low but survived the assault.

Vevette Blackwater

Vevette is Manshoon's war leader in his battle against the Xanathar's guild.  She is a skilled swordsman and tactician.

Agorn Fuoco

Agorn is a skilled warrior and bard.  He in charged with maintaining loyalty among Manshoon's many followers.  He is feared for his zealous loyalty to his master and his lack of mercy for those who stray from his service.  Agorn has been tasked with rooting out and destroying the "fake" Zhentarim in Waterdeep.

 Havia Quickknife

Havia act as Manshoon's personal bodyguard.  Along with her companion Mookie Plush, she would willingly sacrifice herself for her master.  She was recently shamed when she allowed the PCs to walk past her unchallenged and reach Manshoon.  She has vowed revenge.

Mookie Plush

Mookie is the second of Manshoon's halfling monk bodyguards.  She is fiercely loyal to her master and harbors a deep romantic love for him.

Fireball - Session 2

Fireball, Part 2

Quinn Alimar

The day began with more questions than answers. What was happening at the Gralhund villa? Why the elaborate act? Did we foil an assassination attempt? If so, what was to be gained by the death of Lord Gralhund? Where was the nimblewright and what was its purpose? How did we get on Sergeant Cromley of the City Watch’s bad side? My head spun as did the thoughts within each of my companions’ heads. It all feels like someone dumped a thousand different puzzles on us and we are trying to piece it all together. The only constant seems to be to find the Stone of Galorr.

A knock on the door (or what was left of it after the fireball blast) revealed an older man seeking Yasuo’s ear. I suppose they had crossed paths at one point or another. The man re-acquainted himself with Yasuo and said his name was Haru Hamatori. He is a coachman working the more well-to-do wards and had heard our names come up in his coach. Yasuo listened intently to the information. He then turned to us and brought us all up to speed. Having an informant in the city could be beneficial but identifying with our group at this point in time can be deadly. I offered to have Mr. Hamatori leave any information to share with the temple. I gave him the name of a trusted acolyte. We thanked Mr. Hamatori for the information and sent him on his way.

The next morning we decided to seek out more information. What better place than the top of one of the guilds? We went over to the jail to talk to Davil Starsong. It was a risk as being associated with the Zhentarim leadership would not help our standing in the eyes of the City Watch. Unfortunately for us, Davil had been released. More so, it was Sergeant Cromley who informed us of his release. Then came the questions about why we were interested in talking with Davil Starsong. We verbally stumbled through the conversation, leaving Sergeant Cromley probably more convinced we are up to no good. Once the exchange ended, we left quickly.

Thia remembered he could be found at The Yawning Portal. We navigated to the notorious inn straight away. Entering, we encountered a large send-off party as a group was descending into the portal. It was nice to have a distraction as more people noting us meeting with Davil Starsong might not go well for us. Davil was there and in fine spirits. He had drinks brought over straight away and inquired as to what brought us to him.

We spoke of the events that had transpired at Gralhund villa and of the splinter faction of Zhentarim. We spoke of our battle involving Urstul Floxin who was the assassin sent to kill Lord Gralhund. To our dismay Davil informed us Floxin was a favorite lieutenant and was most likely brought back to life after we left the villa. I’m glad my mom was not around to hear my utterances at the presentation of this news.

Davil further shared with us the tale of a mage who went by the name of Manshoon and founded the Zhentarim hundreds of years ago. Manshoon had made clones of himself. No one knows how many exactly. Currently the original Zhentarim faction was at peace with the Xanathar Guild as neither side could gain an advantage. The splinter group of Zhentarim was quite interested in bringing down the Xanathar Guild. This splinter group was causing no small amount of trouble and Davil offered to aid us if we needed help in bringing about an end to the splinter group. It was a kind offer which we said we would consider it if necessary. Before ending the meeting, Davil gave Thia a box with a winged snake. The snake is magical and will act as a courier should we need to get a message to Davil.

At this point we were no closer to finding the nimblewright. The detector had gone off at Gralhund villa but the nimblewright must have slipped away in the chaos. With staunch determination, I took the detector and began working the city block by block. My companions were good enough to join me on this mini-crusade. Three days of walking finally paid off when we got a hit on the detector.

Primara casts a stealth spell allowing us to sneak up the darkened alley where the detector had indicated the nimblewright was located. A heap of garbage acted as camouflage. The nimblewright appeared still until we were almost on top of it. Then it sprung to life.

It leapt into the air and came down in a fighting stance. A rapier appeared in its hand. Diplomacy and

questioning would have to wait. The machination flew into melee, engaging us swiftly. Several of our spells hit it but couldn’t bring it down. The fire that had been on a slow burn after burying my mom had become a raging inferno. With all the strength Tempus could provide, I dug deep and summoned a holy bolt of radiant energy and sent it true at the nimblewright. The bolt struck hard sending the creation into blasted bits. My companions looked on in awe for several seconds until the silence was filled with the sounds of the city.

Yasuo plucked a piece of paper floating down from the rainstorm of wreckage. It was a map. The map showed a red X on the Cassalanter grave within the City of the Dead. This seemed worthy of investigation.

Before exploring the City of the Dead, we swept up the pieces of the nimblewright and deposited it at the Temple of Gond. Valetta was relieved to see the nimblewright had been destroyed and quickly sent for our reward to be fetched. While the apologies came quickly in a flood, my anger for the loss of my mother still flickered. I held my tongue for the moment. We also decided it was worth our time to notify Sergeant Cromley that we had put a stop to the construction as a gesture of good will.

It was unanimously decided that entering the City of the Dead should be done with the most daylight available. That place gives me pause. I question how anyone can take their families there for picnics. Ignorance must play a large part but I digress. At high noon, we entered the City of the Dead and found our way to the Cassalanter’s crypt as shown on the map.

The first detail of note was the door to the mausoleum was open a bit. We entered and looked about, finding fresh footprints in the dust on the floor. They led to the stairs which went down to the lower levels. Cautiously we made our way. I picked up a bit of hushed conversation and instantly stopped the group. Primara cast her stealth spell once again allowing us to close some of the distance before we were noticed.

Three dark figures were hovering over several bodies. A Halfling jerked his head our direction and feigned a surrender. His companions, having no interest in a confrontation, dropped their shovels and fled further down the crypt. The tricky halfling didn’t catch us flat footed and the fight was on as he came up quickly with a wand and we prepared to fight.

Davian, Thia and I flung spells at the Halfling, only to have the spells miss or be blocked. Then came a chilling ray from the wand. I had never felt such cold before. Tempus watched out for us as we all remained standing, albeit barely. We doubled our efforts and brought the evil halfing down. Once the dust had settled, we found the halfling’s two minions. They stuttered about, claiming only to be there for bodies. I was disgusted with them. They would see the inside of a cell where they could reflect on their poor decisions.

We turned our attention to the fallen figures which the black robed trio (now a duo) were standing over when we arrived. One of the figures was still alive. A quick examination resulted in a symbol of Corynax. She and her companions were up to no good. Davian revived her after binding her wrists. As she came to, an anger began to wash across her face. She glanced over at the other two figures on the floor, providing further fuel to her internal fire. She identified herself as Vael and said she was there with her fiancé and three others. They were there for the Stone of Galorr and had indeed found it. At that point, she was knocked unconscious and left for dead by two of her party.

Vael was set upon exacting revenge and readily led us to this decrepit two story windmill. She said the plan was to bring the stone here to make an exchange for some dark favor. Keeping Vael’s wrists bound, we entered the windmill. The first floor was occupied by a contingent of homeless. I quietly got them to evacuate. Then we ascended to the second floor where we found Vael’s betrayers.

They had just handed off the Stone of Galorr to a trio of small spiked flying devils. They were beginning to fly away, having no interest in us. The betrayers spun around to see us and readied their weapons. I didn’t want to let the devils get away with the stone when we were so close. Yasuo charged in to engage the two. Davian and Thia trained their spells on the two as well. I was concentrating on the devils, trying to bring them down. All of my spells missed their mark. Perhaps Tempus is trying to tell me something about fighting as a team. I’ll have to think on my tactics and study with those more wise than I.

The betrayers were taken out as the devils flew out of range. They couldn’t be allowed to escape! In a perhaps futile gesture, I leapt from the window to the rooftops below. Yasuo followed along. We ran and jumped along the rooftops, keeping the devils in our sight. We opened a few holes in the roofs running along some dilapidated sections but managed to keep going.

The devils slowed their flight. It was then I noted several magic missiles streaking up to engage them. Thia and Davian had been teleported forward by Primara. I was thankful for their quick thinking to cut off their escape. “Keep them busy,” I thought to myself as I continued running. One of the devils caught a spell straight in its chest and dropped from the sky. As its limp body descended to earth, a bit was seen falling next to the body. It must be the stone!

My thinking was verified as the other two devils went into a dive after it. Finally Yasuo and I arrived and began to survey the scene. There was a horse-drawn coach in the alley where the stone had fallen.  Two figures came out, one of whom began yelling orders to the winged devils.

“Fetch the stone and bring it to me! Then kill the intruders!”

Not that diplomacy entered my mind, but that sealed the deal. This exchange was to the death. With a deep breath, it was on. Spells flew. Yasuo made his way down to the alley. Swords clashed. At one point, the alley was covered in thorns, capturing the leader in an iron grip. The stone was somehow thrown clear to the man in the coach. Davian fired at the axle of the coach, bringing it to a halt before it could even begin to get away. Yasuo jumped in and engaged the occupant. The rest of us continued raining down spell after spell on the others. The very air began to buzz in the exchange.

The sway of the battle began to go our way as the winged devils and other agents of the leader fell by the wayside. I jumped down to help Yasuo in the coach. Thia and Davian continued to pour on the firepower into the alleyway. With our combined might, we won the day. As I struck the final blow on the coach occupant, he (or shall I say it) transformed to a plain grey humanoid form. A doppelganger had taken the place of some poor soul. I reached in and claimed the Stone of Galorr. The sounds of the authorities approaching came to our ears, indicating we should leave unless we want to try to explain all of this.

Thia Liadon

An elderly Kozakuran man came to our inn to speak with Yasuo. The man, Haru Hamatori, is a coachman who wishes to help Yasuo. He said that he has heard nobles--Lady Gralhund and someone who sounds cold and commanding--speak negatively about Yasuo. Haru agreed to continue his work as a coachman and to seek us out at Quinn’s temple with any useful information. When asked about puppets, Haru told us about a merchant named Zardoz Zord who brings them to Waterdeep from overseas. There are several carnival ships comprising the Seamaiden’s Faire, currently docked in the city where we might find him.

Haru Hamatori

The next morning, we walked to the courthouse to speak with Davil Starsong, the Zhentarim sun elf who had been arrested. Instead, we were met by Detective Cromley who told us that Davil had been released earlier that morning. We then made our way to the Yawning Portal hoping to find Davel there. The inn was packed with a lively crowd gathered to see off a group of adventurers, the Fine Fellows of Daggerford. Davil was at the inn and greeted us with wine mimosas, ready to speak with us. Davil’s group of Zhentarim are at peace with the Xanathar Guild, but the splinter group of Zhentarim are against the Xanathar Guild. Manshoon (or one of his clones) founded the Zhentarim hundreds of years ago. Manshoon is a powerful mage who made multiple clones of himself. All clones are very powerful spellcasters. Davil told us that the Zhentarim do not deal with puppets, and the Xanathar Guild does not need a puppet. Urstil Floxin, the leader of the splinter Zhentarim group and master assassin who we killed, was one of Manshoon’s favorites. While the Gralhunds are just a middling noble house with financial troubles, Manshoon has an interest in them. They were probably so possessive about Urstil’s body so he could be raised from the dead. As for Davil’s group of Zhentarim, the Doomraiders are his personal raiding group. He gave us the names of some of his notable people, including: Istrid Horn--female dwarf priest who is second in command; Skeemo Weirdbottle--gnome; Tashlyn Yafeera--warrior; and Zeraj--half-orc assassin. Apparently Davil keeps close watch over his people, telling us that Zeraj is seeing someone in our neighborhood. He is probably also keeping close watch on us, as well. Before we parted, Davil gave us a box containing a winged snake. He said that it has been trained to fly back to him and we may use it to send him a message.

After three days of wandering Waterdeep in search of the puppet, our tracking device came to life, indicating it was nearby. We were at a dark alley and readied ourselves for a fight. Primara cast Pass Without Trace so we could silently creep up to the puppet. It appeared lifeless, but it suddenly sprang up. The gold-metaled humanoid extended a rapier from one arm, and the fight was on. My Shocking Grasp and Primara’s Dragon’s Breath of lightning were pretty effective against the puppet, but Quinn’s Guiding Bolt was critical, causing the puppet to explode. A note floated down from the wreckage. It was a hand-drawn map of the city of the dead. There was a red “X” on the Cassalanter grave. The Cassalanters are the ones who had sponsored the Kozakuran embassy. We gathered up the pieces of the puppet and returned to the Temple of Gond for our reward. Valetta gave us 500 gold for destroying the nimblewright. We also told Detective Cromley about the nimblewright.

Our next stop was the crypt indicated on the nimblewright’s map. We arrived at noon to find the

Cassalanter Crypt

outer door of the Cassalanter’s mausoleum ajar. Fresh footprints lead down some stairs to a lower level. Quinn heard some talking and we decided to sneak down the stairs. Some men with shovels ran away, but a halfling necromancer pulled out a wand and gave us a fight. We eventually defeated him and searched him for useful items. We found 20 copper, a wand, and a spellbook! The spellbook has a number of spells I don’t know and I am eagerly looking forward to learning them. We rounded up the commoners who had run away. There were bodies in black robes, and those men were here to bury them...and to rob graves. One of the victims was still alive. It appears that someone had cas Inflict Wounds on her. She was wearing a pendant, a symbol for Corynax, and a dagger. We took the dagger and pendant. Davian revived the woman and she explained what happened. The woman, Vael, said that she was with her fiance, Holiver, and Kaef. They were the other two dead robed figures in this room. Vael said she was sent to retrieve the stone that was left for her here this morning. But she was betrayed by Arn and Sophia, who wanted the stone for themselves. They attacked her, Holiver, and Kaef.   Eager to get revenge on Arn and Sophia, Vael agreed to lead us to them. On our way out of the graveyard, we handed graverobbers over to the guard at the gate.

Vael lead us to a crumbling, two-story building covered in graffiti. The abandoned windmill was home to several poor peasants whom Quinn quitety shooed out to protect them from our inevitable battle. Vael pleaded with us to untie her and give her a weapon so she could exact revenge upon Arn and Sophia, but we declined her potentially sincere offer and left her bound. We approached a new door which looked out of place in this dilapidated building. Through the door we found Sophia and Arn. Arn was standing by an open window having just handed off the stone to one of several flying spiked creatures--spined devils--which started to fly away. Before we could chase after them, we needed to defeat Arn and Sophia who were eager to fight. We dispatched them as quickly as we could and took off after the devils.

Yasuo and Quill leaped out the window onto the windmill’s rotting rooftop. They ran after the creatures, jumping from building to building. Meanwhile, I asked Primara to teleport herself, Davian and me ahead of the spined devils. She spotted a suitable rooftop and we instantly appeared there. Davian and I attacked the devils with magic missile and they shot back with their own missiles: tail spines. I managed to kill one of the creatures and a stone went flying from its grasp. Primara raced after the stone. The stone disappeared between buildings, followed by Primara and the remaining devils. A jolt of adrenaline shot through my system out of fear for Primara, alone among our foes. I raced to the edge where the stone had fallen, communicating telepathically with Primara as I ran. She said that the devils were frantically searching for the stone. One of them spotted it and snatched it.

Doppelganger

A coach driven by Haru Hamatori rolled onto the scene. The Cassalanter’s butler, Willifort Crowelle, climbed out followed by a large man with a wriggling beard. He ordered the the devils, “Give me the stone and kill them.” By now, Yasuo, Quill, Davian and I were at the scene. The large man handed the stone to Willifort and the coach drove off. Davian swiftly cast a spell, crippling a wheel and halting the coach’s progress. Yasuo ran after the stone and a struggle ensued between him and the butler. Haru even grappled with Willifort before Yasuo ordered him to disengage and run. Meanwhile, Primara cast entangle in the alley. Weeds and vines sprouted through the cobblestones and ensnared the large man (a bearded devil) and the remaining spiked devils. Assuming that Davian or I had cast the spell, since Primara was out of sight, they attempted to attack either of us when they could. Thankfully the bearded devil was unable to extricate itself from the plants, giving us enough time to defeat it. Just when the tide seemed to be turning in our favor, six ravens with glowing red eyes flew at us. When Davian hit some of them, they transformed into imp devils. My heart sank, thinking that the stone might be tossed to one of these little devils and carried off. Looking over at the ongoing struggle at the coach, I could see that Quinn had joined in and they nearly had Willifort--or whatever it was--defeated. A moment later, the struggle had ended, and Quinn picked up the Stone of Galorr. The butler, dead, reverted to a featureless, humanoid shape. We could hear the approach of gryffin guards and departed from the scene.    

 Yasuo Shimazu

Father,

 I regret to inform you of Uumaga's passing.  I have prepared her way to the best of my simple abilities, and I now return her Urn to you that she may be attended to properly.  Her death is a great loss.

I must also inform you that her death was not an accident, and that I do not yet know the full reason for it.  It seems to me that she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and was collateral damage, but I do not have enough information yet.  What I do know is that when I get to the bottom of this I will extract the full measure of justice available to me at the time.  On this you have my word.

I am sorry that this message is not a happier one.  Know that other than this I am well, and please give my love to mother.

- Yasuo

Davian Targana

“Well done boy, nearly getting us both killed at the hands of a true mage.  To see someone using their gift more fully than you probably ever will was refreshing.”

Oh how I miss the break I had from this egotistical…thing…stuck in my head.  Do not play into his hands, do not play into…

“You know I can hear you, right?  Ah, yes, the goldfish has forgotten this once again”

“Fine! Yes, I enjoyed the time when it was just ME in MY head, before I was stuck with YOU!  For a time I remembered what it was like to have just MY own voice in MY head.”

“Hmm, snippy and forgetful, I have my work cut out.”

Davian’s anger grew at this, only to have a sensation of smug satisfaction grow in the back of his mind.

“That little unicorn is quite handy: healing, teleporting, entangling.  It’s nice to have at least one useful pawn at our disposal.  That and my staff really help to make up for some of the shortcomings of this group.  Now, if you could actually wield my staff properly, you stand a chance of actually becoming helpful.  Of course, a dirty sorcerer wielding it instead of a knowledgeable wizard taints its legacy, but I’m stuck for now, and you may yet prove useful.  Possessing the stone is the first step, I just hope that something is in the vault which can free me of this prison.”

The return of Keilier brought with it the same headache as before.  Meditation might help to silence the…

“Silence me?  Why would you silence the one being which can help you stay alive?”

“STAY ALIVE?! Where were you when I was turned into a popsicle?!?!”

“You seem unable to multitask.  I think that comes from what limited power you possess being given to you instead of earned.  We wizards spend our lives studying…”

“SPENT your life!  As in, when you were ALIVE!”

The words trailed off in Davian’s mind, no response uttered from Keilier.  After a few moments, Davian began wondering how this arrangement was ever going to work, the constant belittling was taking its toll.  Was the near-death incident going to be a one-time event?  He knew Keilier was a powerful resource he could tap into, even as annoying and condescending as he is.  The staff is powerful, extending his own powers even more than he was learning to do on his own.

As he followed this trail of thoughts, the vice-like grip in his mind seemed to lessen a bit.  Was Keilier regretting his…”Ow, fine, I get it, I get it…” Davian’s mind momentarily felt compressed, before returning to normal.

As Davian relaxed into bed, he could feel the comforting presence of his father, his anchor in these troubling times.  It was like his father was telling him that he was safe now, that he could relax and rest from the events of the alley and the flying demons.

“YOU! You’re here again! Go! Out!”

“Keilier, what are you going on about?”

“You ARE thick, aren’t you?  That…thing.  It…” Keilier stopped mid-sentence and didn’t return.  What did fully return was a peace that he hadn’t felt since before he came to Waterdeep, when it was just him and his father out in the woods, staring up at the stars while waiting to fall asleep.  For a moment, confusion was the only thought Davian had, but after a brief moment that too went away, and only calm filled his mind, followed quickly by sleep.