Tempus ran upstairs to find three dead or dying goons. He paused to say a prayer to spare the dying. A fourth man sat on the floor. He was covered by a net and petting three winged snakes. Half his face had been recently burned and his clothing was badly scorched. Etlenda stood guard over him. The man looked exhausted and resigned to his fate.
A smaller man dressed like a noble was reunited with a woman who appeared to be his wife. A tall half-orc wearing the livery of the noble house stood near the woman - obviously her bodyguard. The man called out, "Yalah, my dear! Are you safe? Where are the children?"
"They are hidden and safe, Orond. They're in their room," she nodded, indicating a door to the right, "Go see to them. It seems we have guests."
- Winterfrost of House Silverspear - Neutral Good Moon Elf Noble and Fighter. The daughter of elven diplomats, raised among dwarves.
- Etlenda, aka "Exile" - Neutral Good Eladrin Outlander and Paladin. Exiled from the Feywild and raised by wolves. While exploring the Feydark he crossed over into the Underdark and emerged into the Mortal World.
- Tempus Vegvisir - Lawful Good Human Trade Sheriff and Cleric of Helm. Husband and Father.
- Push-ta Tok - Neutral Half-Orc Former Smuggler and Rogue.
- Kem Hearthfire - Chaotic Good Half-Orc Former Gladiator Priestess of Gond.
Gralhund Villa
Tempus cleared his throat and introduced himself, "I am Tempus Visvigir, Road Warden. My companions and I were outside investigating an unrelated matter when we heard battle within. We apologize for entering uninvited." Tempus addressed his question to the husband to test a theory, "My lord, what happened here?"
Orond hesitated and looked at his wife, "Um."
Yalah replied for him, "Orlond, go see to the children. I will handle this. Captain of the Guard, send one of the men to summon the City Watch at once!"
Orlond nodded and fled into the adjoining room. One of the guards left down the stairs to summon the City Watch.
"We thank you for your intervention. You see, we have been held hostage for a tenday by these vile Zhentarim agents! My brave and LOYAL guardsmen managed to free themselves today and fight their way to free us. We are indeed lucky you came along to assist them!"
The guards shuffled their feet uneasily. The half-orc growled at them and they quickly snapped to attention.
"My lady, we believe this man on the floor here was involved in an incident earlier this morning in which a fireball was detonated not far from here. The fireball was thrown by a mechanical man called a nimblewright. Have you seen this nimblewright? Do you know why it might be targeting this man?"
"This man is their leader, Ustul Floxin! I know nothing other than he is a bloodthirsty savage who deserves to be hanged for his crimes! I have no knowledge of a fireball or a nimblewright!"
DM - Kem's player said to me, "I'd like to make an Insight roll to see if she's lying." Etlenda's player said, "Let me save you some time. OF COURSE SHE'S LYING!"
"My lady, may I speak with your husband and your children?"
"Why?" Yalah said, suspiciously.
"I simply wish to ensure that he is healthy and well."
"Can't you see that we have suffered severe trauma? Why can't he be alone with his children?"
"Madame, I have experience with this sort of thing and can provide sympathetic consolation."
"Very well, but please be brief. Hrabbaz, go with our guest to ensure their propriety."
DM - Tempus rolled a natural 20 on his Persuasion.
Tempus joined Orlond in the adjoining room. Orlond was hugging and checking on the safety to two boys, one ten years old, the other thirteen. Orlond seemed annoyed by Tempus' intrusion.
Tempus noticed that there were three beds for two children but said nothing. The half-orc bodyguard stood menacingly behind Tempus, watching his every move.
Tempus gently inquired if Orlond felt safe or if there was anything Orlond needed to confess or if Orlond needed any help or assistance of any kind.
Orlond was insulted by this intrusion and demanded Tempus leave immediately. Hrabbaz grabbed Tempus by the shoulder and politely but firmly directed him to leave.
Tempus didn't push his luck. He returned to the others, "We're done here. We should go."
Urstul Floxin's eyes grew suddenly wide. He grimaced. He looked up at Etlenda with a pleading look while making subtle gestures towards Yalah. He grit his teeth as if to say, "Don't leave me here with HER!"
Etlenda gave the subtlest nod, "We should wait for the City Watch."
Urstul breathed a sigh of relief. As if on cue, the whistles of the City Watch could be heard downstairs.
Tempus introduced himself and his companions to the City Watch. As Etlenda handed Urstul over to the watch, he said to the man, "Remember this courtesy. I doubt Lady Gralhund would have showed you such mercy. If the situation is every reversed, I hope you will remember what we did for you. Before you go, is there anything you need to tell me?"
Urstul grinned but kept his secrets to himself.
Loose Ends
The team retreated to Trollskull Manor. The next morning they made plans to search the city for the missing nimblewright. Etlenda had once again changed appearance. He now had yellowish skin and green hair - despite the cold outside, today he felt like spring.
As they gathered in the common room to discuss their plans, Push-ta entered the manor with a male dwarf. Push-ta introduced his companion as Jorn. He said Jorn would be staying in the manor house for a ten-day, he'd stay in Push-ta's room and will keep out of the way. Jorn had even promised to help with some of the home repairs. Jorn introduced himself but spoke in a strange voice that seemed - odd. Push-ta hustled Jorn along with an awkward grin, saying, "Okay, well, that's enough of that. We'll be moving along now. Sorry I can't help track down the - whatever - today. Have fun!"
Everyone was polite and smiled and waved.
Once they were gone, Etlenda stopped smiling and turned to the others, "Okay, that was weird, right? It wasn't just me?"
The team continued their preparations and set out to search Waterdeep with the nimblewright detector. They spent the entire day following a winding path through the Sea Ward with no signs of the nimblewright. The exploration did introduce them to some of the sights and locations of the Sea Ward.
The following morning was colder. The skies were gray and it was beginning to "smell" like snow. The team focused their search on the Field Ward. The detector began to whirr about three hours into their search. They triangulated the source to a decrepit alley filled with trash.
They cautiously entered the alley with weapons stored and hands free. Suddenly a humanoid shape wearing an old hat and tattered cloak rose out of its hiding place beneath the pile of garbage. It was the nimblewright. It glanced around quickly looking for an escape route.
Tempus spoke with gentleness in an attempt to convince the mechanical automaton to surrender peacefully. In response, the clockwork man threw aside its cloak and brandished a rapier.
Etlenda shouted, "Grab it!" Tempus, Etlenda, and Winterfrost rushed forward and grabbed the nimblewright, wrestling it to the ground, pinning its limbs, and disarming it. Kem followed up by binding the nimblewright with rope.
The nimblewright had been captured!
DM - D&D doesn't really have good rules for dog-piling onto a target, pinning it, and disarming, so I came up with some on the fly.
Step 1 - the first attacker makes a grapple check using Strength (Athletics) vs the target's choice of Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics). A success confers the Grappled condition on the target.
Step 2 - the second attacker makes a grapple check as above. A success confers the Restrained condition on the target.
Step 3 - a third attacker makes a grapple check as above. A success confers the Incapacitated condition on the target.
Shove - An attacker can make a "Shove" attack, using Strength (Athletics) vs the target's choice of Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics). A success confers the Prone condition on the target. A prone target that is grappled, lacking movement, cannot stand up from their grapple.
Grappler Feat - If any of the attackers has the Grappler feat, they can skip to the next step. For example, Restrained at Step 1, Incapacitated at Step 2, etc.
Escape - The grappled target, as an action, can attempt to escape with either a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) skill check vs. a Strength (Athletics) skill check made by all of its attackers. Each success against its attackers removes one step. Restrained to Grappled to Free. Incapacitated targets, lacking actions, are unable to escape.
For example, a target trying to escape from two grapplers makes a Strength (Athletics) check of 22 vs. the Strength (Athletics) checks of each of the attackers: 15, 18. The target escapes. In a different scenario, the grapplers scored: 19 and 24. The target is no longer Restrained but is still Grappled.
Some passing city watch heard the commotion and investigated. Tempus was surprised to encounter city watch in the Field Ward. They explained that because of the recent violence between the Zhentarim and Xanathar's Guild, they've been forced to work extra shifts and go to places they wouldn't normally go. They were exhausted and annoyed.
Tempus explained the situation to the watch officers. The watch officers didn't care and went about their business.
After the scuffle, Kem Hearthfire searched the nimblewright, finding a folded piece of paper in a small pouch. She secreted it away for later inspection.
They returned the nimblewright to the House of Inspired Hands. Valetta thanked them for their service in retrieving the wayward automaton. She paid them 500 gold crowns and, as a bonus, gave the team four gifts - special inventions of the House of Gond:
- Adjustable Stilts. They increase the height of any humanoid wearing them by 2 to 5 feet.
- Backpack Parachute. If it has sufficient time and space to deploy properly, the parachute allows its wearer to land without taking falling damage.
- Barking Box. While activated, the box barks whenever it detects vibrations within 15 feet of it, as long as the box and the source of the vibrations are in contact with the same ground or substance. A switch on one side of the box sets the device to emit either a small dog's bark or a large dog's bark.
- Matchless Pipe. A switch made of flint is built into the bowl of this fine wooden smoking pipe. With a few flicks of the switch, the pipe lights itself.
They accepted their gifts and left the temple. Back on the street, Kem opened the folded piece of paper she had confiscated from the nimblewright. It was a map showing directions from Gralhund Villa to a location in the Field Ward near where they found the automaton. An X on the map indicated a word "Thrakkus".
Thrakkus
The team decided to head back to the Field Ward to investigate. Snow was starting to fall, leaving a light dusting on the ground.
They arrived at the location indicated on the map and found another decrepit alley. Within this alley was an ancient windmill - its blades having been removed long ago. Much of the windmill appeared in decay and occupied by squatters. There was a butcher shop on the ground floor. A sign hung on the door saying, "Thrakkus is out. Will return in a tenday."
Etlenda said, "Well, I guess we'll return in a tenday."
DM - I had given Etlenda his faction mission for the Emerald Enclave, but they were starting to dive into the meat of the mystery plot. I knew once they started down the mystery trail, things would go quickly. I wanted them to complete some side quests first. So I threw out the sign. At first it was one day. Then, when the group needed more time, I made it two days. Now I'm making it a tenday. The players were cool to play along.
The Grave Robber
That afternoon, as they returned home, a white cat sat waiting on the steps. As they approached, it said, "Etlenda, the Emerald Enclave needs you."
The white cat relayed to Etlenda the following mission: “Sir Ambrose Everdawn, a grizzled old champion of Kelemvor, has offered to help the City Guard catch a necromancer who’s stealing bones from the City of the Dead and animating them as skeletons. Sir Ambrose could use your help, if you’re not too busy. Report to Sir Everdawn tonight at dusk for instructions.”
Etlenda asked the others if they wished to join him and they agreed. It was still mid-afternoon so they decided to go to the City of the Dead to scout it out while it was still light. The snow was falling but people were still strolling through the park-like cemetery. Children were gathering balls of snow and hurling them at each other like icy missiles.
The team walked the perimeter of the wall, looking for cracks or points of entry. They found only the main gates. Towards dusk they found the staging center near the graveskeeper shack for the guards assigned to protect the City of the Dead. They met Sir Ambrose Everdawn. Sir Everdawn was hesitant to allow untrained amateurs on his search detail. Etlenda made the case for their assistance. Sir Ambrose conceded the argument and accepted them onto the team.
Sir Everdawn briefed the team on the recent grave robberies, showing them the scene of the most recent disinterment. Not only had the body been dug up, there appeared to be evidence that the body within was trying to claw its way out - indicating reanimation before disinterment. He assigned the team to the southern half of the cemetery. He and his night watchmen would patrol the northern half. He gave them all tin whistles to blow in the event they encountered the grave robber.
DM - The mission said the team had a cumulative +10% each night of encountering the grave robbers. i was going to have it happen on night one anyway but I rolled and got 03, so its legit.
That night, as they patrolled the snow-covered cemetery, they came across six skeletons digging up a grave under the supervision of a halfling-sized figure wearing a heavy cloak. As they approached, the halfling turned and hissed, "Cheese it! The fuzz! We've been made!"
At the command of their halfling overseer, the skeletons threw down their shovels and grabbed weapons - two with crossbows and the rest with short swords.
The team rushed forward, closing half the distance between them and the skeletons. The halfling cast a spell and became invisible. The team could hear the crunching and see his footsteps in the snow as he fled down a path.
Etlenda grabbed Tempus' shoulder and the pair magically vanished in a puff of silvery mist. They reappeared next to the invisible halfling.
DM - Dang, I wasn't expecting that! I was planning for the halfling necromancer to make a quick getaway. I should have used Misty Step instead. I was going to have the halfling cast Fly and fly away invisibly, but they're both Concentration spells so he could only do one at a time.
While the skeletons engaged the others in deadly combat, the halfling cast fly upon himself, making himself visible. He took flight into the night sky. Tempus prepared a spell that would halt his flight. The halfling looked back at Tempus, his eyes aflame with magical power. Etlenda put his arm on his friend's shoulder, "We better let this one go." Tempus growled in frustration, "Noooo! Fine!"
DM - Tempus' player said "Wait! I've got something that can stop him!" I sighed and said, "Look, the necromancer was not meant to fight you yet. Do you want four more thugs like the other week? If you want to engage him, I'm going to bust out Fireballs and Cones of Cold, and you can't handle firepower of that magnitude!" Tempus' player groused but Etlenda's player said, "We better let him go." Tempus' player said, "Fine!"
The remaining skeletons were soon dispatched. Tempus blew his tin whistle to summon the other night watchmen. Once they arrived, Tempus cast a spell to magically move the dirt away from the grave, revealing a skeleton within. That skeleton was likewise destroyed and the dirt replaced.
Sir Everdawn said, "A halfling necromancer, you say? Well, he might return. Would you be able to return for a few more nights?"
Deepwater Dragon
The team returned to Trollskull Manor and slept in. Later that day Tempus received a telepathic message from the Blackstaff, "I have need of your services, and maybe one companion. Are you available?" Tempus replied that he was.Tempus and Etlenda met with the Blackstaff. She told them, "A young bronze dragon has taken up residence in Deepwater Harbor. It startled a few sailors recently but hasn’t hurt anyone. Confront the dragon and learn its intentions." She gave them each a potion of water breathing with which to complete their task.
The pair took a small boat into the Deepwater Harbor where the dragon had been seen. They swam towards the bottom. A curious and precocious bronze dragon emerged from a barnacle-encrusted shipwreck on the sea floor and swam towards them, meeting them halfway.
"Greetings, humans! I am Zelifarn. You can deliver your offerings here in my new lair. Come, this way. I'm sorry, I can't help but notice that you aren't carrying any treasure. OH! Magic bags! Very classy! I like it! Come, this way!"
Tempus apologized and instead introduced himself and Etlenda. He said they did not come to bring treasure - they were tasked with determining the dragon's intentions.
Zelifarn looked disappointed. When he realized he wasn't getting treasure, he dismissed the pair and swam away.
Etlenda called after the dragon, "Wait! I have an offering!" Etlenda emptied his pockets of maybe 5 gold pieces, all he had, onto the deck of the shipwreck.
Zelifarm came back, excitedly, "Oh? Oh. Is that it? Will there be more?"
"That's all I have at the moment. There might be more," explained Etlenda, "But only on the condition that you tell us what your intentions are. The Blackstaff wants to know."
"Oh." The dragon breathed out bubbles in a sigh, "Her. Tell her I won't interfere with the city or its people. You may go."
"Thank you." Etlenda and Tempus returned to the surface and delivered the information to Vajra.
DM - This faction quest required Tempus to succeed at a Wisdom (Insight) skill check. He failed. Etlenda put money down so I allowed him a second chance. He succeeded. Event hough Etlenda isn't a member of the Grey Hands, I gave the Renown to Tempus. I had the dragon say, "Also, please tell Vajra, this guy's all right. She should give him his Renown anyway."
Next Week: The Windmill
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