The morning air was cool and gray. The temperature was cool but temperate. People were wearing coats and hats but there was no need to bundle up.
It was early winter in Waterdeep.
Etlenda, known to the elves as "Exile", no longer felt like winter. He had worn his winter season since coming to Waterdeep. He had been pessimistic and wary. Today, Etlenda felt content. He felt happy. He finally had a home, a place to belong. Today he felt like Autumn.
His appearance changed also. No longer was he the blue-skinned white-haired creature of the cold. Today his skin was the color of pale gold and his hair was auburn and brown.
Autumnal Etlenda strode up Saerdoun Street towards Trollskull Manor. It was mid-morning. People were out and about doing their morning chores. The shops and stalls were open. Children were playing.
He saw four halflings busking across the street from the manor. Two young halfling women were playing instruments, a flute and a fiddle respectively, while two young men danced a merry jib. Passers-by threw nibs and shards into a collection bucket. Etlenda had seen them before. He struggled to remember their names. The two women were named something like "Steve" and "Trombone" while the two men were "Pinehearst" and "Villanueva" - or whatever. Etlenda was raised by wolves deep underground until he was found by a dwarven expedition. The concept of "names" was still strange to him.
Etlenda smiled and threw a few silver pieces into their bucket. Steve, Trombone, Pinehearst, and Villanueva smiled in return while they tipped their hats and curtsied.
Etlenda returned to the manor and found his friend Winterfrost cleaning up the broken remains of tables and chairs in the old tavern room. "What happened here?"
Winterfrost glared at Etlenda before darting her eyes towards the bar, "Why don't you ask Leif the poltergeist? Apparently he wants us to open a tavern or nothing."
"But we're not opening a tavern."
"Shh! Not so loud!" Wintefrost pointed at the debris, "Apparently Leif dedicated his life to running a tavern, so that's all he wants us to run."
"Well, did you maybe try finding out what Leif wants? Maybe we can-"
Etlenda was interrupted by a massive explosion across the street. Windows were shattered, walls shook, people screamed. They looked out their broken window and saw a scene of destruction where the halflings had been dancing. Smoke billowed up from the aftermath of whatever caused the explosion. Charred bodies lay strewn on the street.
- 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.
After the Blast
Etlenda called an alarm and the Mystics of Trollskull Manor assembled in the common room. They ran out to the site of the blast where a throng had already begun to gather. They quickly assessed the situation. Were there any survivors? Was anyone injured? Did anyone see what happened?
Fala Lefaliir, the owner of Corellon's Crown, said they had seen something from their shop, “I was watering plants in the greenhouse on the second floor of my shop when the blast blew out some of the windows. Lucky I wasn't injured! Through the smoke, I saw a cloaked man take something from the body of a dead gnome, then start limping away. He was badly burned and casting glances over his shoulder, like he was afraid someone might be following him. He was headed toward the Bent Nail.”
A woman dressed like a wealthy noble reported, “I tell you, it was not a man. More like a puppet shaped like a man. A puppet without strings. It was on the rooftop. It hurled something into the crowd below that caused the explosion. I saw those halflings burned alive! I saw them!”
Kem Hearthfire remembered that she had seen something resembling that description - a puppet without strings shaped like a man - lurking at the House of Inspired Hands where she had spent much of the previous week.
A twelve-year old boy said to Winterfrost, “Right after the explosion, I ducked behind a rain barrel. Then I heard a ‘plop' and found this in the barrel.” He showed her a necklace with two beads. Winterfrost asked if she could have it. The boy hesitated but Winterfrost was able to talk him into parting with it.
Emmek Frewn, who had seen the incident from the entrance to his new tavern, reported that he had seen the gnome rushing towards Trollskull Manor being pursued by three cloaked men.
Tempus sent his bat familiar, Edward, above the roofs of the nearby buildings where the woman reported the puppet. Push-ta climbed a nearby drain pipe to gain access to the same roof in case anyone tried to get away. They found nothing.
Winterfrost and Etlenda set off after the cloaked man, asking passers-by if they had seen such a man. They followed the reports past the bent nail and back onto Saerdoun Street where they lost the trail.
Tempus quickly examined the bodies of the victims.
- One elderly female human who was out for a walk. No one could recognize her.
- Two cloaked male humans clad in leather armor with sheathed longswords. The two men both had tattoos of black winged snakes on their arms.
- Two female humans and one male half-elf dressed in plain clothes carrying baskets of recently purchased sundries.
- One male gnome wearing a burned cloak and clutching a dagger. The gnome's boots were covered in the partially dried excrement from the city's sewers. The gnome's purse contained what felt like gemstones. Tempus left those be - noting that the gemstones were not stolen by the cloaked man who escaped, so simple robbery was not the motive.
- Two female halflings who had been playing a flute and a fiddle, and two male halflings who had been dancing.
The Watch Arrives
A griffon bearing one of the elite riders of the Waterdeep City Watch circled overhead.
Tempus saw a contingent of twenty Watch hustling up the street led by a Watch Officer and a mage. The mage introduced himself as Inspector Barnibus Blastwind of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors. The Watch Officer was Sergeant Saeth Cromley.
Sgt. Cromley was a meek figure with thick glasses, constantly taking notes in a small book. Magist Blastwind was a rotund figure full of bluster and command.
Sgt. Cromley directed the twenty Watch guards to cordon off the scene and begin questioning witnesses. He immediately instructed Tempus and Kem to step away from the bodies and refrain from touching anything. Inspector Blastwind demanded someone report to him what happened here.
Tempus introduced himself as a Road Warden and gave a summary of events in the form of an official report.
With the arrival of the Watch, Push-ta climbed down off the roof, reporting no sign of the "puppet". Soon after, Winterfrost and Etlenda returned form their pursuit.
Inspector Blastwind asked the team some follow-up questions. Sgt. Cromley had difficulty keeping up in his notes and was constantly asking the team to pause to spell someone's name or repeat an answer.
Based on the team's testimony and assessment, Inspector Blastwind put together a picture of events:
The unidentified gnome was in a hurry to reach Trollskull Manor, for reasons unknown to the residents of the manor. The gnome was pursued by three agents of the Zhentarim. A third party, a "puppet without strings" threw a bead from a necklace of fireballs at the gnome. The bead detonated, killing the gnome and two of the pursuers, along with a number of innocent bystanders. One of the pursuers survived, took something out of the gnome's pocket, and fled the scene. The "puppet" on the roof likewise fled and could not be found.
Carts arrived and Sgt. Cromley directed the removal of the remains of the victims to the North Ward Watch station so they could be more closely inspected.
With the removal of the bodies and the clean-up of the scene, the Watch took their leave. Sgt. Cromley took contact information for each of the residents of Trollskull Manor in case of follow-up questions.
DM - It should be noted that at no point did Winterfrost mention that she had the necklace of fireballs on her person.
Nim's Secret
The Mystics of Trollskull Manor discussed their options. On the one hand, the investigation was controlled by the City Watch. On the other hand, who was this gnome and why was he headed to Trollskull Manor? He obviously wanted their help. Something was up and it involved them. They decided to conduct their own investigation, contrary to the parting advice given by Inspector Blastwind.
Kem, an initiate into the mysteries of Gond, told the others that she had spent the previous week volunteering at the House of Inspired Hands, a temple and workshop dedicated to Gond. She knew the high priestess there, so they had an "in".
The team went as a group to the House of Inspired Hands. Etlenda noticed a thin humanoid wearing a long tattered cloak standing atop the roof. The humanoid released a small mechanical bird. The bird's wings fluttered but it quickly lost altitude as it looped through the open air in a rapidly descending spiral. The bird flew directly at Etlenda's head but the eladrin moved quickly out of the way. The bird hit a nearby wall and exploded into cogs, springs, and small delicate parts. The humanoid darted out of sight towards the center of the building's roof. Tempus sent his bat Edward to follow the "attacker" but found no evidence of them - as if they had vanished!
The team entered the temple. Etlenda, incensed by the near miss, scanned the room for his "attacker". Kem requested an acolyte summon the high priestess, Valetta. While they waited, she gave a quick tour of the many wonders on display in the Hall of Exemplary Inventions.
A moment later the team was met by Valetta, a dragonborn priestess of bronze dragon ancestry. They told Valetta about the attack and the sighting of a small puppet-like being on the roof. Kem reported having seen a similar being here at the temple. Etlenda added the near-miss outside the temple.
Valetta sighed and said it sounded like Nim, the nimblewright - a gift from a Lantanese wizard. Nim was an humanoid automaton given magical life. It lived in a small room in the attic. However, Nim had been on the roof of the temple all morning. Valetta led them to the small wooden stairs that led into the attic space where it was stored.
The trap door that led into Nim's attic space was locked. Tempus attempted to pick the lock but failed. Etlenda said he was going to break the door open. Valetta, intervened, "You will NOT! This is a holy temple of Gond! You will NOT break any doors! Find another way!"
Tempus sighed and cast used his newly learned magic - casting a spell to magically open any lock.
They burst into the cramped attic space and found the thin mechanical being hiding beneath a pile of junk. They quickly found Nim and pulled it out. In one end of the space was a workbench, on which was an array of partially finished automaton creations - including parts for other humanoid nimblewrights. A hatch in the ceiling led onto the roof - this explained the nimblewright's quick disappearance earlier.
Nim could not speak but could communicate using gestures and simple hand signs.
DM - This provided a challenge for remote gaming via VTT. I had my camera on and the players could see me, but I also had to narrate what I was doing without saying the message outright. Luckily the players did really good
An interrogation of Nim revealed that a month ago it had constructed another nimblewright. This nimblewright fled into the city. Nim had no knowledge of a necklace of fireballs or any murder plot. Nim showed them a handheld device it had constructed that would indicate the nearby presence of a nimblewright. It demonstrated it upon itself. The team was satisfied with his answers.
Valetta scolded Nim for its actions - Nim's workshop was to be confiscated and Nim was to be confined to its space. Push-ta protested this treatment, for surely Nim was innocent! Valetta informed Push-ta that a servant of Gond must take responsibility for their creations. Etlenda pointed out that Nim was simply being punished, it wasn't being disassembled or anything.
Valetta continued, reiterating that servants of Gond must take responsibility for their creations and that they would take responsibility for Nim. She offered the team 500 gold dragons to return or destroy the wayward nimblewright. The team agreed. They took the Nim's nimblewright detector and left. It was mid-afternoon.
Gralhund Villa
As the team left the House of Inspired Hands they soon realized that the maximum range of the Nim's nimblewright detector was 500 feet. This meant they would have to search the entire city. They decided to start in the North Ward, where the attack took place. Etlenda devised a search route to follow starting on Thunderstaff Way.
DM- Etlenda's player drew the search route on the map and I created a small token with a 500 foot diameter aura so the players knew where they were.
The nimblewright detector began to spin and whir not long into their journey. By the time they reached the intersection of Stallion Street and Pony Way, they had detected a nimblewright across Horn Street within a large walled noble estate - notably in the direction the robed survivor had fled earlier this morning.
The walls surrounding the villa were 12 foot high. The wrought-iron gate was closed and locked. Etlenda thought he heard something within and shushed the others. He could hear the sounds of fighting and screaming.
"Something's happening inside! We need to get in there!"
Tempus pointed out, "Are you sure? Breaking into a noble estate is a serious offense. Maybe we should summon the Watch?"
Winterfrost looked around, "That would probably take at least twenty minutes. We need to act now!"
Push-ta moved across the street to act as a lookout while Tempus took out his lock picks. The team stood around him to shield him from view as he went to work on the gate. To his surprise, the lock on the gate was magically warded, his lock picks were unable to enter the keyhole.
He put away his picks and cast a quick spell of opening. The magic dispelled the ward but the gate was still locked. He used his picks again but the lock was beyond his ability.
"Just get out of the way!" said Etlenda exasperatedly. Etlenda kicked the gate open, breaking the lock and drawing the attention of several passers-by.
They entered the compound. They saw a groundskeeper and his two mastiffs across the yard. The groundskeeper looked at them and grumbled.
Etlenda and Winterfrost ran as fast as they could towards the main house - the source of the noise. Tempus moved towards the grounds keeper, calling out to him, announcing their presence and intentions and imploring him not to interfere. Push-ta hid behind a nearby tree - poorly.
Push-ta left the safety of the tree to intercept the groundskeeper. The groundskeeper reached out and touched Push-ta with a single finger. Push-ta staggered back, overcome with inconceivable pain.
Tempus paused, "Well - uh - that's- that's not good!"
Winterfrost burst through the entrance into the main house. She immediately saw the bodies of eight slain guards wearing the livery of House Gralhund lying on the ground. Two burly intruders were rifling around the room looking for valuables. They turned and saw Winterfrost.
"Oy! It's that elf lady what interfered with our boys in the Field Ward last week!"
"Back for more, eh? Come on, then. There's more where THAT came from!"
Winterfrost held up her finger as if to say "Just a moment."
Etlenda magically appeared between the two thugs in puff a silvery mist. Sparkles danced in front of their eyes. They each turned and looked at Etlenda, saying, "Oh, hello sir!"
Etlenda said, "Don't worry about her. She's with me."
"Oh, of course!" they said, "Our mistake."
"Winterfrost, thank you so much for triggering the next wave. Now go see what's taking them so long to defeat a simple groundskeeper."
Winterfrost gave an embarrassed smile and a small salute before returning to the yard to help her companions.
Outside in the yard, Tempus had knocked one of the attacking dogs unconscious while Push-ta killed the other dog. When the dog died, its body became wreathed in an aura of shadow that slowly sank into the ground - causing Push-ta no small consternation.
They turned their attention to the groundskeeper who had admirably held his own far beyond their expectations by issuing profane curses and channeling the power of dark gods.
Winterfrost soon joined the fray, passing Kem who was running into the house. With Winterfrost's help they were able to dispatch the groundskeeper. Having finally secured the yard, they turned and ran towards the house.
Inside, Etlenda had heard the clash of steel at the top of the stairs. He ran upstairs to find three more thugs engaged in battle with three guards wearing the livery of House Gralhund. The three guards were defending a set of double doors. He could hear someone trying to kick in another door through an open doorway in the next room.
Kem ran into the house and up the stairs, joining Etlenda. The pair engaged the thugs, lending aid to the beleaguered guards.
Tempus and Winterfrost entered the house but the way was blocked by the two thugs, "Welcome back, elf girl. I see you brought your other friends. Ready for us to beat you up again?"
Tempus said, "Stand aside, we're with Etlenda."
"I don't know who that is, but he ain't here right now, is he?"
DM - I had to remind the players that the two thugs were charmed by Etlenda and considered Etlenda their friend. The other player characters were not covered by the charm.
Tempus sent his bat, Edward, to harass the thugs. In response, the thugs smashed the bat, eliminating the distraction. Tempus cried, "Edward! No! You bastard! It costs me ten gold pieces to cast that spell!"
After a brief fight in the doorway, the thugs were eventually dispatched. Tempus and Winterfrost ran upstairs to help Kem and Etlenda while Push-ta searched the dining room below.
The team, with the help of the guards, were able to quickly eliminate the thug invaders. Etlenda told the guards they were there to help. He directed one of the guards to see to their master in the room beyond while the other two guards were to help him with whoever was kicking in the door.
Etlenda entered the next room - an indoor bathroom with a copper tub - just as the intruder kicked in the door beyond. The intruder was a human man wearing a long cloak. The man had recently suffered severe burns to half of his face and his clothes were still scorched.
After the man kicked down the door, he called out, "There's no use hiding, Orond! Give me back the stone or your family dies!"
A man hiding in the room beyond fearfully replied, "Ur-Urstul! I- I don't have the stone! I don't know where it is!"
Kem threw a net over Urstul. Urstul turned and faced Kem and Etlenda behind him, "Who? What?"
Etlenda readied his sword, "Throw down your sword and surrender! If you cooperate, you'll live!"
Urstul saw his fallen companions on the floor behind Etlenda and Kem and considered his options. He sighed and threw down his sword and held up his hands.
"I give up."
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