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PREVIOUSLY - CAMPAIGN DIARIES 30 - Finding Floon
The Owlbear League has just knocked out an avian humanoid called a kenku, who was searching a Zhentarim warehouse in the Sea Ward of Waterdeep. They had been hired by the author Volothamp Geddarm to find a red-headed man named Floon Blagmar, now missing for two nights. The League been following his trail, and discovered Floon and another red-headed man had been grabbed in the street in front of the Old Xoblob shop, and taken to a nearby warehouse run by the Zhents. That group, sometimes called the black network, is a criminal organization known far and wide throughout Faerun, engaged in nearly any sort of profitable criminal enterprise. Having discovered that these kenku have apparently killed a number of men in the warehouse, and were searching for someone else, the League broke into the 2nd floor offices from a dark alleyway.
Zhentarim Warehouse:
"What was that? calls a screetchy voice from the warehouse below.
Orryn the gnome rogue tells everyone to hide, but the office is barely able to hold them all, so they are not completely concealed when three more kenku rush in, tripping over the body of their unconscious companion, while one more stands back in the hall. The Owlbear League leaps to attack.
K'ronk, the dragonborn wizard hits the one in the hall with a trusty firebolt, hurting it and singeing its feathers and cloak. Dain the male dwarven barbarian brings down his great axe and decapitates one of its fallen comrades, and the remaining pair starts scrambling for their lives while emitting terrified squawks.
Atlas the female half-elf monk flings his rope of command outward and has it wrap around one of the crawling Kenku, rendering it immobile. Immeral the moon elf male wizard casts ray of frost and freezes the standing one with a bolt of intense cold. It squawks and staggers, and yells to its comrades below, "bug out, we're under attack".
Orryn dives over the pile of bodies and swings his rapier to slash the Kenku in the outer office, killing it. Scrambling and squawking can be heard from below, so Seraphina the diminutive female halfling cleric, Nowhere the demonic looking female tiefling ranger, Atlas, and Immeral jump over the remaining two free Kenku and race into the warehouse with Orryn.
While five of the heroes run to uncover the danger that awaits outside the offices, K'ronk hits a free kenku with a firebolt and quarterstaff combination attack as Dain attacks with his great axe and decapitates a second kenku, leaving one tied up to scream in terror, two unconscious on the floor, and two decapitated birdmen. Dain kills the unconscious one, and they stand up the screaming rope-bound bird creature.
Nowhere is the first to the balcony above the warehouse and sees several more of the kenku opening a large sliding door to the outdoors. They race out, hurrying each other out. Nowhere races down the stairs.
The other Leaguers take distant action. Seraphina casts hold person and freezes one of the creatures in its tracks. Immeral casts chill touch to wound another with necrotic damage. Orryn pulls out his short bow and gets off a shot that hits one of the cloaked humanoids before they can get out of the building.
As Nowhere runs to catch the kenku in the street, another figure comes racing out from a pile of crates. A man with red hair and white clothing, who races for the doorway. Nowhere tackles the young man, using her tail to wrap around him and quickly grapple him. He starts to cry.
"I'm not going to hurt you!" Nowhere calls out.
"You're not?" the red-headed man sobs, questioningly.
"We're looking for Floon," she replies.
"They have taken my beautiful Floon to the sewers!" the man cries, "we have to rescue him."
Now the others circle around.
"Who are you, and what is going on?" Orryn asks.
"I'm Renaer, Renaer Nevermember," and as if suddenly remembering his image, he pulls himself up and dusts himself off.
From out in the street, whistles can be heard - the city watch was on its way.
"Floon and I were kidnapped by the Zhentarim, they wanted to know where the gold my father embezzled was. I told them over and over that there is no treasure."
Nowhere asks, "is that true?"
Renaer replies "It is true, I don't know where any gold is. My father has abandoned my family, leaving town in disgrace and living in Neverwinter now. People attack me all the time, my life is horrible!"
The others look to each other with questioning glances - unsure if the man is truthful or not. Atlas and K'ronk drag the remaining tied up Kenku down the stairs, holding its beak closed, while Seraphina ties up the kenku she has held magically, before the spell wears off.
Renaer goes on. "The kenku broke in and started killing the Zhents. It was madness, absolute madness. They found Floon and thought he was me, and dragged him down to some hideout in the sewers just a little bit ago. I was hiding in the warehouse, but one of them must have seen me, because they kept looking. That's when you arrived."
The sound of booted footsteps began to echo from the street. "We don't have much time." Seraphina states. Atlas let's the beak free from the one Kenku. "Where have you taken the other redhead?" Atlas asks. "They'll kill me if I squawk." he says, and Dain replies, "I'll kill you if you don't." and leers at him.
"The sewers. The grate is a few blocks south at Trollcrook Alley and Zastrow Street - there will be signs to the hideout." At that moment, the watch arrives, sliding the great door to the warehouse open.
"You all just standing around waiting to be arrested? That's a tactic I haven't seen before." says a gruff voice with a fast-talking big-city accent. The man, obviously a higher-ranking official steps towards them. "I am Captain Staget, answer now to The Watch. What goes on here?" He also glances around, taking in the several dead bodies on the floor, and the tied up kenku.
"Oh Captain" this group are not villains, they are heroes. "They saved me from a second kidnapping. The men in the warehouse kidnapped my friend Floon and I. These kenku came in and murdered the men in the warehouse, and they brought my friend to their hideout in the sewers. We must rescue him." Neverember pleads.
"What goes on in the sewers stays in the sewers." Staget replies, "Keep the blood off the streets. I don't have the men needed to head underground, we'll need to investigate first."
"But Captain..." Renaer starts.
"You're Neverember's son, aren't you?" Staget interrupts.
"Yes I am." he says, holding his chin up high.
"I understand you were questioned thoroughly about the matter with your father's embezzlement, and even under magical influence, you came out clean. Too bad there are those that will never believe you, so I see how we got here." Staget adds, and Renaer's chin drops with another sob. "But if you vouch for the adventurers here, that is what I need - for now."
Renaer nods and Staget continues. "As for you adventurers, I won't tell you not to go into the sewers, but I will tell you to leave problems to the watch. Figure out which way that leads you, but keep the blood off the streets." One of the City Watch calls over to Staget, and he glances to see flying serpent tattoos on two of the bodies, held up by the veteran watchman.
K'ronk asks "Captain, is there something more you can tell us about this warehouse and the group who kidnapped Floon and Renaer?"
Staget sighs and says "I had a surveillance on this warehouse up until a few nights ago. I unfortunately pulled my men to deal with some of the fighting on the street we've seen. Something ugly is happening between this new group, The Eyes and the Zhents. I was trying to hook a bigger fish in the Zhent org, Urstul Floxin, there's been rumors he's been involved in the skirmishing..." he looks at the bodies on the ground, "...but I'm not even sure he is still alive."
"Be careful if you start looking for trouble. My responsibilities are the dock ward, and not every captain in Waterdeep is as nice as me." Staget says with little amusement in his voice.
"Brena, call for a cart and let's get these ones buried."
"What is the Zhentarim?" K'ronk asks.
"You're not from around here, are you?" Staget asks rhetorically. "Not that it matters, the black network can be anywhere in the Sword Coast. Anywhere there's a coin to steal, swindle or extort, you might find them doing the same."
"Captain!" one of the watch calls, and the group turns to see a couple of the crates opened with swords, shields and common armor within. "Damn. Things are getting a bit too hot for my liking." Staget mumbles. He reaches into a satchel and hands a sheet to K'ronk. "Here is the code legal, read it, make sure you keep your noses clean." Looking over the adventurers again, he asks "Which of you are magic-users?" K'ronk, Immeral and Seraphina raise their hands. Nowhere remains silent, her abilities not quite up to the wizards and clerics in their group. "Not the cleric - just you two. Where are your badges?"
"Badges?" Immeral asks. Staget replies "Your deputy badges." Then he sighs, "What gate did you come in?"
Atlas chimes in "The East gate" and Staget shakes his head. "Where are you staying?"
"The Yawning Portal" Immeral responds. "Why do we need deputy badges?"
Staget tells them "All magic-users must register with the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors. You don't want to avoid this, you might get the attention of the Blackstaff who leads the order - you don't want that - she's tough. You need to swear to assist with magical in the defense of the city if needed. I will send a magistrate to the Yawning Portal in the morning to swear you in. As or now, you are free to go, but don't leave town." He turns to the watch. "Driff! Take these birds to the magistrate and let's get an inventory going and get some carts to drag this crap to our own warehouse. Don't need a bunch of armed Zhents on the streets, now do we?" and off he marches deeper into the warehouse.
"Can I have my rope back?" Atlas asks the captain.
"Certainly." he replies, and Atlas touches the magic rope which then uncoils from around the kenku. It looks like it is going to make a break for it, before Captain Staget gives it a chilling glare. Two of the city watch walk up to the kenku and take him away.
The League and Renaer head out into the street as the bustle of city watch increases. Renaer quickly gets his new friends out of earshot of the watch and again tells them they have to go with him to save Floon. "We're not babysitting you in the sewers, we're better off without you." Nowhere tells him.
"But I must help him or I'll die." Neverember responds. Atlas hands him a crossbow and he holds it like it was dipped in manure.
Nowhere corrects him. "If you come with us you'll probably die too, leave it to us. Do you have a place to stay?" Passing the crossbow back to Atlas.
"My townhome of course." he states.
"Is there anyone there with you?" Orryn asks.
"No, I'm... alone." Renaer says.
"Do you have a friend you can stay with?" Immeral asks.
"Yes, I guess so, I have a friend Raylor on Sulmor street who I could stay with. I can grab a carriage."
"Take this knife." Orryn offers, and this time it does not look like Renaer will faint, so the League marches south to the sewer entrance, promising to meet Renaer at his friend's place in a few hours or The Yawning Portal the next day.
The sewer entrance is slightly agape. Someone was in a rush to close it. A putrid stream flows along the floor of the sewer tunnel, which leads in two directions. In one direction, the party sees a tiny symbol drawn on the wall in yellow chalk: a palm-sized circle with ten equidistant spokes radiating out from its circumference.
The League enters the sewers, heading south, trying not to make too much noise in the foul knee deep effluent. Luckily the mild current is flowing with them. Still, it goes slower than expected. After an hour of following signs through the tunnels, they come to a three-way intersection where a ladder leads up into a stone shaft capped by a circular metal cover. One of the familiar chalk symbols is marked on a wall nearby, and floating near the symbol is a pair of spherical, grapefruit-sized creature with a bulging central eye and four stumpy eyestalks. One bares its teeth at the group, hissing, then both attack with surprising speed.
One of the little spherical creatures opens its maw revealing nasty teeth which clamp down on Immeral's arm, and he howls in startlement, but is barely harmed. The same one blasts Nowhere with a purple beam of fear energy which shoots from one of its eye stalks, but Nowhere shakes it off.
The second creature, called a gazer, picks up Orryn with a telekinetic beam of while light and throws him backwards thirty feet into the sewer filth. He is disgusted, but unharmed. It also takes a bite at Dain, but misses.
Seraphina tries her sacred flame spell, but the creature dodges out of the way. Nowhere swings Icerazor at it, but misses the creature too. Atlas throws a dart at the thing and hits it right besides the eye, dripping blood into it's wide mouth. Immeral grabs the one on his arm and lays a shocking grasp on the creature, which lets go of him instantly. Dain tries his javelin, but misses, and K'ronk tries fire bolt and his quarterstaff, but neither connect.
One of the creatures clamps onto Atlas's shoulder, drawing some blood, but not a terrible wound, and then tries to fear ray Immeral, to no effect. The other tries to fling Dain against the wall, but he grabs onto the ledge and the gazer's telekinetic power turns out to be too weak to tear off his grip.
Seraphina swings with her mace Lightbringer and hits one of the beasts, tearing off an eye stalk. Nowhere again swings Icerazor, and this time hits - knocking the creature unconscious and sending it into the drink. Finally, Dain swings his great axe and this time hits the remaining gazer, cleaving it in two and sending its blood and ichor flying about the passage. They take a moment to breathe and check out the ladder.
Nowhere climbs up the ladder before them and listens, but hears nothing. Orryn tries, and he discerns a sound from above. Throwing caution to the wind, he opens the trap door and with his darkvision sees that he is in the basement of a building - casks of wine neatly held in racks all around. He whispers down to the team and goes up to investigate the sounds which are much loader now. Footsteps and music and laughter - it must be a tavern. He whispers down "It sounds like a tavern, I am going to check it out."
Dain says "Tavern?" and starts climbing the ladder. K'ronk and Nowhere quickly grab his legs, although they are disgustingly drenched. "Tavern." Dain says while struggling against them. "Tavern. Tavern." They manage to wrestle him back into the stream.
Sure enough, as Orryn cracks open the door at the top of the stairs, he's assaulted by the sounds of an ale house, and he is right by the bar, the tavernkeeper with his back to him. Orryn tries a bold move, quickly sneaking into the room, closing the door behind him, and stepping right up to the bar rail, which is the perfect height for a gnome to stand on. A few moments go by and the bar-man offers an apology...
"So sorry, didn't see you there." The man states. "You're all wet."
"Just started raining... some good wine please." Orryn asks.
"That'll be 10 coppers" he states as he brings over the tankard and sets it down, sniffing the air curiously.
Orryn reaches into his pouch and pays twice that. "Can I ask you a couple of questions?"
The keep reaches over, takes the money, then counting it makes a bit of a sour face, and says "one or two".
Orryn spins a quick tale. "My name is Rynor, and I work in sewers, technically I work on your sewer," he says, pointing to the floor.
"Ya don't say." the man states, now curious.
"Yes, and well, you have an unusual setup below - very strange, very extraordinary." Orryn tries to read the man, but he is presenting nothing but curiosity as far as he can tell. "Well there is a ladder from the sewer, up to a lid. I took a peek up it, and as best as i can figure, it goes right to your wine cellar."
"You don't say." the man states, now seeming to become alarmed.
"I just wondered if you knew about the access, and that it's unsecured. I don't want to pry, just trying to make sure nobody comes up that way for your wine - nobody or nothing I should say. You wouldn't believe the sort of things that crawl around down there."
"Meat!" the barman yells "get over here!"
"Unless of course you have other uses for the hatch." Orryn adds.
The scrawniest busboy Orryn has ever seen hurries over.
"What is is Drux?"
"I told you to always keep a full cask of wine on that trap door, didn't I?"
"What?"
"That's right, now you go down there and cover it up, and don't let me catch you dumping any garbage in there. We never dump our garbage in the sewer, right Meat?"
"That's right Drux! I'll close it up right away!" and he scrambles for the door.
"Well that answers my questions!" Orryn hurries, "You have been very helpful, and I'm sure once I do a final inspection, nobody will bother you about your trap door." He chugs his drink, slams it down and rushes past Meat to race into the hatch. "Hey!" the bartender yells. "You can't go down there!"
"Just close it up behind me Meat!" Orryn yells he shuts the lid and races to the bottom of the ladder.
"What's up there?" Immeral asks.
"A tavern, some wine and a kid named Meat." Orryn replies. "Let's keep going."
The League continued down the foul sewer tunnel, following the symbols chalked into the walls, keeping them from turning around and leaving the fetid waters to abandon Floon to his fate. Until finally, a break from the trickles of liquid and other substances from the roof above, the team comes to a round break in the passage. A ten-foot wide column stands in the center of the passage, and the tunnels branch right and left. To the left, a platform stands with a door.
The group takes it slow, and discovers two arrow slits pointed into the sewers. Orryn creeps ahead and investigates, discovering a goblin guard in each, sleeping. The party creeps by the narrow openings and head down the left passage. They continue past the platform and check out the area just beyond. There seems little here, but some many yards down the tunnel they discover a short, narrow opening in the wall, just big enough to slip through, with most bent over with their packs off. They can see a room some 40' within and enter.
The passage opens into a store room with barrels and crates, some open exposing baskets of fruit. Entering a side room, Nowhere is suddenly attacked by some sort of half-human half-rodent creature, likely a were-rat. Nowhere shields herself from the blow and breaks the teeth of the nasty creature with her armor.
The half-rat hisses at them all.
Kronk hits it with a firebolt.
Dain hits it with his great axe.
Immeral misses with another firebolt.
Atlas takes a swing at it, but it dodges his fists.
Orryn stabs it with his rapier and the wererat goes down, but then two more leap from the stairs and attack.
One claws at Orryn, raking open his arm. The other knocks over Immeral, but does little harm.
K'ronk misses with another firebolt and with his quarterstaff.
Dain misses with his javelin and fumbles, stabbing Atlas in the shoulder.
A furious Immeral connects with a witch bolt spell, sending a beam of crackling, blue energy toward one of the rat creatures, the arc of lightning flowing from his hands, and it lets out a high-pitched squeal.
Atlas punches another with an unarmed strike and flurry of blows to knock the other backwards.
Nowhere turns with her sword Icerazor and destroys one of the rats.
Seraphina casts sacred flame and finishes the other as it piercingly screams.
They take a moment to catch a breath, and Seraphina cures wounds on Orryn. Looking at the common foodstocks and supplies in this cellar, and the distance from the sleeping goblin guards, they decide to return down the narrow passage to the sewer. They slowly make their way back to the intersection and the platform, carefully searching for anything unusual, when Atlas finds a secret passage to the east.
There is a short hallway behind the secret panel, ending in a door, an arrow slit is noticable to the north. Knowing the door made some noise, Orryn decides to venture a peek. Crawling low, he peeks into the slit and is met with an arrow to the skull, which splits open his scalp on his left side, and he staggers back.
Seraphina steps to the slit before the goblin can reload and unleashes a sacred flame which wounds the creature with a scream of agony. The others race past the danger area, and open the door. Nowhere, Atlas and Immeral move forward through the doorway, trying to get to the goblin, and Atlas punches the door with his gauntlets of ogre power, shattering the wood, but not yet opening it. Back in the passage, Dain launches a javelin into the slot and impales the goblin through the chest, yelling "Got em!" to his companions. K'ronk helps Nowhere to his feet, staunching his bloody left scalp.
The trio of heroes stand at the top of a landing with stairs going down to the southeast. Below is a square room with several doors and a double door to the east. In the middle of this empty room is a stone pillar carved with a symbol the group has seen before: a perfect circle with ten spokes radiating outward from its circumference. In the middle of this circle is a smaller circular indentation that from a distance looks like a lidless eye.
The doors to the east open, and a creature looks within, then glides into the the room.
It is a thin, nightmarish figure wearing black robes. It has large white eyes and rubbery purple skin, with four tentacles encircling its inhuman mouth. It cradles and gently caresses what looks like a disembodied brain with feet.
It glides over to the column and raises a billiard-ball sized orb with its long webbed fingers and presses it to the indentation on the front of the column. The group is frozen for a moment, the hairs on Immeral's back rising in fear, since he knows what this creature is - and illithid, otherwise known as a mind flayer. A creature of vast psionic abilities which diets on humanoid brains.
The illithid puts the brain creature down as a black doorway magically rises from the floor on the southern side of the room. The flayer then speaks in common, but it a moist gelatinous voice, "Grum'shar, clean up the mess in here."
K'ronk and Dain just manage to squeeze onto the platform to see the flayer as it glides for the door to the south, and enters. The door magically lowers into the floor, and it is gone. The rest of the creature's group enters the room though - eight kenku and a large half-orc who must be Grum'shar. The half-orc appears to be a magic-user of some sort, as it has a staff and a spellbook dangling from it's belt.
The walking brain leaps at the party and the fight is on!
K'ronk begins with a devastating attack, his electric breath weapon imbued to all dragonborn. It lances down the stairs and across the room, sending their enemies flying. It knocks out three of the Kenku outright, and wounds several others, but misses the brain creature, who lands an attack on Immeral, hitting with its claws and blasting him with a psychic blast. Fortunately, Immeral's superior intellect is able to fend of the mind assault easily.
Dain takes a swing at the brain creature, but misses. Immeral attacks it with a witch bolt and blasts it across part of the room, but it scambles to its feet. Orryn starts shooting arrows into the mess of kenku and fells another. Seraphina casts burning hands and sets fire to the scrambling kenku, burning two to death. Nowhere takes a swing at Grum'shar with Icerazor, but misses.
Grum'shar parrot's Seraphina with his own burning hands spell, burning her and Nowhere, and Dain, but Nowhere's infernal heritage gives her resistance, so it does little but to enrage her.
The remaining two kenku attack Seraphina and Dain, but only the one confronting Dain hits.
Now K'ronk goes, and seeing the staff that Grum'shar has, he uses a suggestion spell on him and yells "Throw the staff to me." The half-orc seems to resist for a moment, but then does so, and K'ronk snatches it out of the air! Dain swings his great axe and misses the brain creature again.
Immeral takes one of the stars from his robe of stars and casts it at Grum'shar and the remaining kenku. The first magical bolt killing the two avians, but it is Grum'shar who takes the brunt of the attack - three magic missiles strafing him and knocking the half-orc wizard unconscious.
Atlas launches a flurry of blows on the brain creature, but it is still moving. Orryn hits it with an arrow, then Seraphina hits it with Lightbringer and it is staggering across the floor. Finally, Nowhere swings her great icy blade Icerazor and cleaves the brain in half, ending the battle.
The team looks around, breathing a sigh of relief. K'ronk goes over to the corpse of Grum'shar and grabs the orc's spellbook, hoping to make use of it in the future.
The team hears someone moaning in the next room, and steps into a large long audience chamber with a dais on one end, tapestries hanging along one of the walls, poorly hiding other passages heading east, and a stairway down to the north. There are several chairs, and a man tied to one of them, beaten and bloody, and despite a bloodied face, it is clear from his bright red hair and blue clothing that it is Floon Blagmaar, who could easily pass for the brother of Renaer.
"Are you Floon?" Nowhere asks.
Floon looks up at them, and nods, hope in his eyes. "Volo and Renaer sent us to rescue you." Immeral says, and Floon cries with relief. "Thank you, thank the gods!"
Seraphina asks the wounded to gather round, and she performs a healing prayer as Dain unties Floon. Meanwhile there is a chair on the dais that K'ronk examines. He detects no magic, but he sits on it, and with some short examination, finds a chest underneath the solid seat, reachable from behind the chair. Inside the chest, a small pile of coin. A bonus for a job well done.
The Owlbear League has rescued Floon, but will leaving the sewers be as easy as entering? What about the other rooms in this hideout? Who else is down here? Who is this group The Eye? Is Neverember's treasure real? Will they collect their reward from Volo and be on their way to Daggerford, or does Waterdeep hold more interest for the League?
NEXT - ???
This adventure used material from the D&D Module "Waterdeep - Dragon Heist".
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