Session 1 - Session 2 - Session 3 - Session 4 - Session 5 - Session 6 - Session 7 - Session 8 - Session 9 - Session 10 - Session 11 - Session 12
Session Start Date: Tarsakh 2, 1489DR
Heroes went to the Yawning Portal, waited for an hour interacting with the patrons. Aluza waited patiently, Mogilny and Rothin got a table and were hassled by the Xanithars guild, Pavel told the story of how he got to Waterdeep to a patron, and Salem arm wrestled Yagra and won. He was offered a chance to join the Zhentarim if he went to a certain street and said Starsong sent him. They met another adventuring party briefly when Elbias Woodrock III showed up. The troll attacked and all but one member of the other adventuring group ran away. With the help of the barkeep and Yagra the troll was killed. Elbias gave them the job of finding his cart driver and restoring his trade route of lumber. He offered them 1 harbor moon each to do so. Just before leaving Salem agreed to meet the Zhentarim after he gets back from this job.
On the way to Waternook they were ambushed by 4 goblins. They killed 2 and one bargained for his life by telling them that there were 8 or so bandits heading to Waternook from Waterdeep 6 days ago and that they killed one bandit on his way back to Waterdeep. The bandit had a note asking for 1000gp ransom from the Masked Lords. He also guided them to the cart. Another hour later they stopped as a large murder of crows flew overhead into the forest. They saw a slightly worn path and followed it. They came upon a clearing with a dilapidated tower, and inside was a giant spider. After killing the spider they found an arcane grimoire, 33gp and 42sp. They harvested the spider gaining its silk 2gp and its poison sack 9gp. They slept there for the night undisturbed.
The next morning they got to Waternook and spit up into 2 groups. Salem and Pavel went for the church while Aluza, Mogilny and Rothin went through the forest to get a better angle. They saw someone run into the fort, and run back out to town hall. Rothin snuck around and set a pile of lumber on fire which drew 2 of them out of town hall. One ran back to the keep and shut the doors. Using ice to block the arrow slits they were able to get up to the keep doors and tie the door shut. They went to town hall and saved the mayor. The mayor confirmed that the bandits showed up 6 days ago, but for the first 2 days they didn’t cause trouble. Then they took the town over and demanded money. He knew there was a bandit camp a little north of town. They tied up one bandit and interrogated another. He told them that this group was run by Adger and Kaela, but they were being paid by some benefactor that just wanted to see the status quo shaken up in Waterdeep. In exchange for his life he helped get the people out of the fort and he ran away. After taking out the remaining bandits they found Mason in the fort. Mason confirmed that there were 3 more to the north in their staging camp. They ended the session by taking a long rest and leveling up.
Session End Date: Tarsakh 4, 1489DR
385xp per player
Arcane Grimoire, silk 2gp, poison sack 9gp
50gp, 69sp, 43cp
Session Start Date: Tarsakh 4, 1489DR
Hero's started in the Waternook fort. The day was exceptionally rainy because of the Festival of the Storms. Traveled through the forest and got lost. After finding their way back to town, they course corrected and made their way into the forest again. After 10 minutes they found a small clearing with skeleton leaned against a dead tree. They were attacked by the tree root and a swarm of centipedes. After defeating it, they found a shield with Waterdeeps old crest on it. Another 20 minutes later and they found the bandit camp. They silently took out the stragglers with the cover of the rain. They fought Adger and Kaela around the camp. Mogilny threw a tomato at Adger and that drew him out to an ambush. Kaela was commanded to surrender, but just after she was shot by Rothin. Pavel managed to keep her from dying so she could stand trial. They managed to save a letter from inside the tent that said; Letter 1.
hey took them prisoner and marched them back to Waterdeep. When they entered the city, they were promptly stopped by The Watch and escorted to the Hall of Judgement. They spoke to The Hand of Judgement and they answered questions about their job inside a zone of truth. No one lied and they were sent off with a letter confirming that the bandits were processed and would put on trial. They returned to the Yawning Portal and rested. The following day they received payment from Elbias and he asked where they would be staying so he could contact them again in the future.
During downtime Mogilny and Rothin earned a comfortable living by performing with the bard at the Yawning Portal. Salem paid for a modest living and sent a letter and caroused at the tavern earning 2 allied contacts. Both were retired Waterdeep guards. Aluza did religious service at a temple of Sylvanus, earning a modest living. Pavel researched Waternook while maintaining a poor lifestyle. He discovered that the temple of Mystra was built in 1479 by a group of adventurers that never put their names on the paperwork. Part way through downtime mass panic broke out as people stated dying from unknown causes. Rothin got sick but managed to pull through. Shortly after they received a letter from Julietta Gledresk asking for their assistance relating to the incident. The letter read; Letter 2. After meeting at her manor, she informed them that the food from Goldenfields was poisoned. She asked them to find who did the poisoning and bring them to justice. As they were leaving Salem noticed that the wax and seal she used were the same ones used by the Hand of Justice.
On the road they ran into a hilly area with 3 cows staring and watching them. As they tried to walk by the cows, they charged and attacked them. One cow was a druid wildshaped into a cow. When they killed him he also had the same foreign minted currency. After their 7 day journey they made it to Goldenfields.
Session End Date: Tarsakh 17, 1489DR
410xp per player
399gp, 32sp, 43cp
Session Start Date: Tarsakh 17, 1489DR
The heroes started at the gates of Goldenfields. They went to town to find the bartender, but on the way they got weird looks from a few people on the road. When they got to the Goldengulp they talked to the only bar tender there and asked about strange occurrences in town. That prompted a few people at the rear tables to get up and walk out. The bartender said they didn't know about any leads, but they should really see what the statue of Chauntea looks like at night. After they left the bar, they were ambushed by animated brambles of wheat.
Later that night they met the bartender at the statue and he informed them that the High Priestess Tasia was trying to radicalize the other members of the clergy. He doesn't know how successful she has been, but the other High Priests haven't done anything to stop her. He mentioned that there was an emissary of Waterdeep that stayed here months ago, but she hasn't been seen in weeks. He recommended that they talk to the High Priests and alert them that Waterdeep has greatly because of the poisonings.
In the morning, they went to they abbey to request an audience with the high priests. Inside the abbey there is a huge stained glass ceiling with a depiction of the goddess Chauntea on the right, Sylvanus on the left, and Amaunator in the center of a faintly glowing sun. They were able to speak with Evindal and Firdas but Tasia wasn't around. They convinced the priests to allow them to search Tasia's room, inside they found a letter from a familiar name. The letter read; Letter 3. In the room they also found a wand and items that seemingly belonged to the missing emissary from Waterdeep. High Priest Evindal still wanted proof that she was behind the poisoning's so they left to go retrieve the poison that had been stashed near the towns grain silos. As they were leaving the abbey they were ambushed by her cronies. After finding the poison, they made a replica with the help of the High Priests so that they could wait for her to grab it and have the proof they need.
Later that night, she was spotted grabbing the fake poison and sprinkling it on all the outbound wagons. With proof secured they confronted Tasia. She summoned a swath of awakened wheat and battled the heroes, but was shortly beaten. They spared her life and made preparations to set off for Waterdeep the next morning.
Session End Date: Tarsakh 19, 1489DR
750xp per player
Wand of Pyrotechnics
63gp, 2sp, 7cp
Session Start Date: Tarsakh 19, 1489DR
The heroes left the city of Goldenfields with High Priestess Tasia in tow. Most of the trip was uneventful, except for the 3rd and 6th day. On the 3rd day they were ambushed by a bulette but were able to dispatch it easily. On the 6th day they came across a wizards tower in the Waternook forest. Inside was a Drow wizard named Masvyr Telenna. He offered them a few different magic items he had collected on his travels. Pavel bought the mysterious key, and the other items were a little too expensive.
Back in Waterdeep they were escorted to the Halls of Justice. On the way there, they stumbled onto a crime scene. A clash between the Zhentarim and Xanithars guild left a dozen bodies strewn across the road. When they got to the Halls of Judgement, they weren't questioned this time. As Tasia was being taken away, she said "It matters not what happens to me. The kindling is still being set, but soon this putrid city and everyone inside it's walls will burn." They were then given proof of apprehension to be taken to Julietta Gledresk. After making their way through the North Ward to Gledresk Manor, she gave them the payment of 2 harbor moons each. She asked if they were still interested in becoming gilded as adventurers. They said they were, and she informed them that when they decide to guild people its put up to a vote between the Masked Lords. The more good they do for the city and the Masked Lords the higher the chances they are to get gilded. They left and had a week of downtime.
Salem received a vision on the first night back. He saw a grey figure sitting alone in an everchanging palace, a woman's shadow burned onto blackened earth, and fields of gold mingled with a blaze of orange and red. While doing religious service Aluza helped heal and talked to wounded dwarves that came from up north. There was an attack from red horned creatures. Doing this service earned him 2 favors. Pavel did religious service at the House of Many Hands but failed to curry any favors. Mogilny and Rothin started their search for the Gambinos. After scoping out the dock ward, being careful to only go out when Rothin was disguised, they were able to find out that Slippery Steve now runs an illicit drug business out of a warehouse on Candle Lane. Near the end of downtime, Mogilny was approached by Mattrim Merg (the bard that plays at the Yawning Portal) and offered the group a job. He said he couldn't pay, but he works for powerful people with a lot of sway with the Masked Lords. He said to meet him on the corner of Fillet Lane and Net Street in the Dock Ward tonight.
Meeting a different looking man on the street corner, he tells them that a man is looking for his friend Floon and hasn't seen him since last night. They both went drinking at the Skewered Dragon. The contact left around midnight but Floon stayed to drink some more. The contact is offering 50gp each now, and 10 times that upon Floon's safe return. They asked some questions at the Skewered Dragon, and after bribing the bartender they discovered that after the contact left, another man that looked very similar to Floon joined him for chess and drinks. When the two left the bar, 5 Zhentarim thugs followed them out heading towards Candle Lane.
Making their way back to the warehouse on Candle Lane, they snuck through the window into office. In the office they used detect magic to discover magic paper on the desk. The most recent letter that hasn't been sent read; Letter 4. Searching the warehouse they found 5 dead Zhentarim bodies and 4 kenku searching the place. After dispatching the kenku they learned that the Xanithars Guild grabbed the wrong person. Shortly after, a man bearing a similar description to Floon exits a hidden closet. It turns out to be Renaer Neverember, son of the pervious Open Lord. Renaer explains that both crime guilds are looking for a treasure that his father hid away, and to find it they were using an artifact called the Stone of Golorr. But a few days ago, the stone was stolen, and they've been fighting ever since. Renaer showed them a secret stash he heard the Zhentarim piling things into when he was in the closet. They found four stolen paintings, fifteen 10lb silver trade bars. Renaer then asked if he could accompany the group while looking for Floon, and they agree. They kept one kenku alive and he showed them the man hole cover that leads to one of the Xanithars hideouts. They knocked him unconscious and left him behind.
Walking through the sewer and following yellow eyes marked in chalk, they fought two gazers and a hobgoblin. Shortly after, a few duergar and humans that were barricading the door against a gray ooze. They then went around the corner and found a mind flayer petting an intellect devourer, and a half orc torturing a human. After taking a significant blast, he retreated into a side room and left his intellect devourer to finish them off. After a dicey battle, both opponents lay defeated and Floon was rescued. In a chest they found some gold and potions of healing.
Session End Date: Mirtul 5 1489DR
810xp per player
Wizard's Spell Book, 2 Potions of Healing, 4 paintings 75gp each, 15 silver trade bars 50gp each
788gp, 116sp, 294cp
Session Start Date: Mirtul 5, 1489DR
The heroes started in Waterdeeps sewers after retrieving Floon. They fought through an ambush and managed to get Floon and Renaer back to the surface unharmed. After getting back to the Yawning Portal, Matrim the Bard issued them a warning to stay safe. Many eyes now watch them as they try and climb through the ranks, good ones and bad. Inside the tavern they found out the contact was a man named Volo, who recognized Rothin as a Hadozee. Unfortunately he didn't have any gold to reward the heroes. He instead rewarded them with a tavern in the North Ward named the Floppy Hat. They accepted it and the next morning inspected the property and went to the courthouse to transfer the title. Later that day they went to the Guildhall of Waterdeep and spoke with Broxley Fairkettle to get their guild license and start renovations. They ended up choosing the priority license and Kayla Cloudbrew as the manager. She will need 3 months to fully train. With their downtime Pavel earned a favor from religious service. Rothin spoke to the family he had breakfast with a week ago. Mogilny wrote songs for the opening night. Aluza went around Waterdeep and advertised the opening making the profit die for the first month return to a d6. Salem did research and discovered that his coin is tied to a cult named the Omniscient Dawn mainly based out of Calimport in the Calim Desert.
Just a few days before the grand opening a fireball struck outside the Floppy Hat. They were able to deduce that Zhentarim agents were tailing a gnome with gems and a ripped open bag. Witnesses at the crime scene said they say a puppet man rummage through the gnomes things and then run away. They also found a discarded necklace of fireballs in a rain bucket. Pavel recognized that the puppet man sounded like something that the House of Inspired Hands makes for parades in the city. After heading to the House of Inspired Hands they spoke to Valetta and she confirmed that they had recently sold a nimblewright to a S. Luccese in the North Ward. Feeling guilty over the harm to innocent civilians she gave them a nimblewright detector. Using this to sweep the streets, they found that the nimblewright was in the Gralhund Villa.
After being turned invisible Aluza wildshaped into a spider and infiltrated the villa. After sneaking around the house, he eventually made his way to the upper floor and snuck past the guards outside the master bedroom. Inside sitting on the porch was Steven Luccese trying to focus on a jade green stone and not being able to complete his attunement. A few minutes later, some Zhentarim thugs broke in and started causing a distraction. Aluza took the chance to hop in his pocket and snatch the stone. After a battle on the terrace, he hopped down and made a break for the gate. The nimblewright followed in hot pursuit. After being unable to climb the fence, he made a run for the coach house. After using ice to break the padlock he ran out onto the street. The rest of the group joined the combat to dispatch the nimblewright, but the bodyguard almost got away with the stone. Salem stabbed him in the back and Aluza retrieved the stone. After returning to the Floppy Hat Pavel identified the stone and it was revealed to be the Stone of Golorr, an incredibly powerful but dangerous magical artifact.
Session End Date: Mirtul 15, 1489DR
760xp per player
Stone of Golorr, Necklace of Fireballs (2 beads), Floppy Hat Tavern title
Session Start Date: Mirtul 15, 1489DR
Started in the Tavern after they stole the stone. Aluza attuned to it overnight and got a vision of the aboleth in a dark inky void. It asked him what he hungered for and he said to serve nature and his god. He then received another vision as he slept of a sprigan wolf in the middle of a wild forest. The wolf extended his paw and Aluza took it. He awoke to the sound of a voice saying "come find me." Later that morning they did some shopping around town. Mogilny sweet talked Fala and Pavel spent time talking to Rishaal. They asked the stone about the hidden stash and the lost library of cormanthr. The stone said that the vault was in lord Neverember's better half's final resting place. To get into the tomb they would need the correct blood or great strength, and to unlock the vault they would need a bar of adamantine, a bronze dragon scale, and a gift from a queen. It also said the lost library is a hard place to get to. There are pages in Neverwinter and in a land of everlasting storms and ice. It also mentioned that not just the words on the pages are important, the pages themselves are important too.
During the opening night of the floppy hat tavern, Renaer tells them his mothers family name. The night was an overwhelming success. The next day they gained an audience with Laurel Silverhand to receive a crystal decanter as a gift. They then went to the Deepwater Bay and spoke with some dock workers about a dragon in the bay. They said they weren't sure where he hides. Aluza wildshaped into a dolphin and swam down and searched the bay. He ran into some sea elves and they directed him to the dragons sunken ship. He went inside and convinced the dragon to come to the surface and talk with the party. As he swam to shore he stated that he wasn't allowed into the city because of a powerful magic spell. The hero's met the dragon in the bay and traded information for a scale. He asked what was at the heart of the Well of Dragons. The stone said the Platinum Fang. With the stone, the gift and an adamantine bar they went to the mausoleum and fought the treant guarding it. After getting inside they looked around and opened the coffin that had the Neverember name on it. They killed the 6 crawling hands that were in the coffin and grabbed a scarf that appeared magical. After moving her body they found a pull chain that when pulled lowered the coffin revealing a staircase down. After descending hundreds of steps they found the vault door. After presenting the three keys the door opened.
Inside they opened doors until they found a way to get up to the crumbling bridges above them. Aluza wildshaped into a spider and surveyed all the rooms. After pulling a trap door and taking fire damage from a trap he surveyed the other rooms but couldn't read the Dwarvish in the rooms. While waiting Rothin observed that one of the walls didn't quite line up with the rest of the wall. After taking some time to pry it open, they found 5 copper urns with various amounts of money and a magic ring. Pavel had to make his way to the other two rooms and after tying a few ropes together they were able to get up to the middle bridge and into the middle room. The room asked them to say a secret to gain passage. After admitting that Pavel cheated on an elven test the statue lifted revealing a spiral staircase downwards. They descended into a massive room with vaulted ceilings and a massive pile of gold in the center of it. On top of the pile sat an elderly dwarf with a staff of two entwined dragons. They chatted for a bit and after revealing to the dragon that the gold was stolen from the people of Waterdeep he agreed that he shouldn't guard it anymore. After some convincing from Mogilny and Pavel he agreed to help remove the gold but only under the condition that he get to keep his staff and his favorite gems. They ended the session in the massive treasure room.
Session End Date: Mirtul 22, 1489DR
1015xp per player
Ring of Warmth, Scarf of Charming, silver statuette 250gp, 5 gems 100gp each, 10 gold rings 25gp each, 33 gems 10gp each
250gp, 650sp, 200cp
Session Start Date: Mirtul 22, 1489DR
Started in the treasure vault. As the party started to exit the vault they heard bubbling coming from the back of the room, this caused them to halt and investigate. At about the same time, they saw torchlight and heard talking coming from the exit. Slippery Steve had them followed and confronted Rothin. After battling a black pudding and the Gambinos, Slippery Steve was killed. They removed his Gambino's tattoo and planned to send it to Ice Pick and Two Face. Slippery Steve had a ring with the Gambino family crest on him. They took time to identify that it was a ring of mind shielding and Slippery Steve's soul might be inside. They exited the mausoleum and Mogilny harvested the treant that was guarding the tomb. He was able to harvest its sap, its bark, and even its main root. Aurinax said that he would be staying at the tavern while he figures out what to do next.
The next day they made their way to the Palace of Waterdeep and spoke with Laurel Silverhand about the pilfered gold. She was already going to write them a letter about receiving their gilding, so she said in 1 week they would be invited to dinner at the palace with her and a few other guests. As a reward, since she couldn't give them money from the hoard they found, she wrote them a bank note for 5,000 dragons of her own personal gold. During their downtime they initially assisted with retrieving the gold from the vault. Afterwards Aluza advertised the Floppy Hat around the North Ward. Pavel spent the week with Aurinax asking about Bahamut and the Lost Library. Rothin spent more time investigating the Gralhund Villa. He discovered that it used to belong to an old noble family. The family hasn't been seen since Slippery Steve started using the villa as a staging ground for Gambino operations. He found letters from both Vinny and Joey from Zhentil Keep about their business dealings with the Zhentarim. Afterwards he facilitated a sale of some goggles of night. Salem purchased some armor and continued to research the coin. He also received a letter that read; Letter 5. On the day of the dinner, Mogilny also received a letter sealed in blue wax and a silver harp that read; Letter 6. The letter stated that after the dinner the party might be approached for a job, and that they should accept.
At the dinner party, they learned that Elbias Woodrock, and Julietta Gledresk were both Masked Lords. The Hand of Judgement was also in attendance. They were served a multi course meal that ended with them receiving their gilded patches. For formalities Laurel asked if they had a group name. They went with the Waterdeep Dragons. As everyone was leaving, Elbias pulled them aside and asked if he could hire them again for another job. This time the payment would be doubled. He explained that a few weeks ago demons appeared in his mine and ran everyone out. No ones been brave enough to head back and investigate where they came from. He asked that they head to the Amberspread mine clear out whatever infernal infestation has taken the place over.
The next day they prepared for the 12 day journey by stocking up on rations and going to the Horseshoe Gardens and purchasing a mule. Pavel named the mule Tiamat. On the third night they were awakened by baleful howls in the distance. They successfully dispatched the shadows and shadow mastiffs.
Session End Date: Kythorn 7, 1489DR
910xp per player
Ring of Mind Shielding, Tie of Many Fashions, smoke bomb, 5000gp bank note
83gp, 6sp, 12cp
Session Start Date: Kythorn 7, 1489DR
Started on the road heading to the Amberspread Mines. After a day of traveling the rolling hill of the Sword Coast the group stumbled upon a field of flowers as they were setting up camp. One of the flowers caught Rothin's eye, a fiery red flower that appeared to dance in the setting sunlight. After picking it with his mage hand, he was able to roll one into a cigar and smoke it. This gave him one of the benefits of the haste spell, without requiring concentration. Near the end of the night the asked the Stone of Golorr what was in the mine. It said that id didn't know exactly what was inside, but that it was a strong demonic presence.
The next day, as the sun was directly overhead they spotted a wagon that appeared different than the ones that they had been passing. This wagon was carrying 6 people and hidden cargo. As they got closer they could see that the person driving was a copper dragonborn and he waved them over. After chatting for a minute, the conversation went sour as both parties realized who the other's were. Pavel knew that the ones in the cart are members in the Cult of the Dragon, a small cult that loots and steals from small towns as an offering to Tiamat. They were being escorted by two Zhentarim mercenaries to an undisclosed location. After the fight they looted the Zhentarim armor of the mercenaries and found that their cargo was stolen trinkets and coin. The decided to take the cart and continue on.
After a few more days of traveling through the hills, the land flattened back out again as they approached the Mere of Dead Men. A few hours in they found a cart sitting beside an old stone bridge. Just as they crossed the bridge, a woman ran out of the foliage begging for help. She claimed her husband was drowning and neither of them could swim. Pavel went into the water to assist, but just as he did Aluza read the mind of the strange woman, confirming that their intentions were less than pure. After dispatching the two shapeshifters, Pavel was pulled from the water and revived.
Just a day later, they arrived at a fork in the road with a sign towards the Amberspread Mines. As they reached the camp just outside the mine, they started to hear the screams of dwarves and cackling. Further investigation would reveal that there were demons mimicking the sounds of the dwarves as they died. After the battle commenced, a goat headed demon leaped from the cliff and joined the fight. Aluza and Mogilny were briefly poisoned by the creature, but were luckily able to cure it before it got bad. After taking a short rest outside, they went into the mines.
Inside the mines, they were able to find another letter from Ludovicus that read; Letter 7. Inside his footlocker they also found 62 more Thayan gold and a drawing of his family. Before they went further, they asked the stone about the tuning fork mentioned in the note. It said it didn't know exactly which fork it was because many different forks exist that can be used to open many different portals. After they unbarricaded the kitchen, they made their way to the chapel and inside found a man with with his heart ripped out. Placed neatly inside where his heart used to be was a tuning fork. After they removed the tuning fork it started to vibrate, and a purple light emanated from the pit beyond the chapel. As they were leaving the chapel, they saw a large creature patrolling on the minecart rails. They snuck behind him and waited for him to enter another room of the mine. They went into the room it just left and found unprocessed amber and cutting tools. As they were leaving that room, the creature emerged from the room it was in. They tried to sneak away, but were discovered. The fight was ended when Mogilny struck the final blow by piercing the creatures heart with his rapier. Just after the creature fell over, the tuning fork went silent.
Session End Date: Kythorn 14, 1489DR
1090xp per player
Potion of Climbing, Spell Scroll of Eldritch Blast, 6 gems 50gp each, assorted trinkets worth 320gp
122gp, 800sp, 2500cp
Session Start Date: Kythorn 14, 1489DR
Start in the mines just after combat. The heroes started by going to the last room on the upper levels. They entered a room used as sleeping quarters and found that many of the bodies had been torn apart. As they started moving them, one reanimated and started attacking. They quickly found out that it wasn't just a normal zombie, but something else that was inhabiting the body. After it hopped around to a few different bodies they were able to kill it. And for good measure they tossed the remaining bodies down a pit. They then attempted a short rest but were interrupted by a few cacklers roaming around. After dispatching them they successfully short rested.
After their short rest they descended deeper into the mines. Using the minecart tracks they were able to reach the bottom without issue. At the bottom they went down a passage that hadn't been fully mined yet. Following it down they came into a wider chamber with large ritualistic circles scrawled onto the floor. The circles glowed a dim purple and illuminated a body in the center of them. This body's heart had also been replaced with a tuning fork. Just as they started investigating the body, a voice entered Pavel's head. It claimed to be named Almonrixx and says that it was pulled here against its will and wanted to return home. It them showed Pavel a vision of a crimson swamp with a deep purple sky, and large creatures that he's never seen before. Pavel believed this is one of the layers of the Abyss. They agreed to help bring him home and removed the tuning fork from the corpse. As they did, the writing on the ground began to swirl and a purple light began to shine through the cracks in the ground as a portal to the Abyss was opened. Upon opening, a demonic ape leaped through and attacked them. After fighting it off, they were able to stab it through the heart and place the tuning fork in the chest cavity, closing the portal. The voice in Pavel's head went quiet. After taking time to smash the portals and tidy up, they long rested and leveled up.
Leaving the next morning they didn't run into any trouble for a few days. On the 7th day they encountered an alter just off the road on top of a small hill. It was a black stone obelisk with a small ledge holding a massive dark purple gem. After some careful inspection they determined that it was a black sapphire worth around 1000gp. When it was handed to Pavel the same voice came back to him and thanked him. Later in the day they saw a tree in the distance and Rothin noticed that there was a creature behind it that seemed to be stashing something into it. When they came closer to investigate, they discovered that there was a sword inside the tree. After preforming multiple rituals they discover that the blade was magical +1 shortsword named Goldleaf. On the 8th day near sundown they came across 4 ogres watching the road and upon seeing the group, they attacked. They were able to dispatch them and take a long rest. On the 11th day around midday they came across a familiar tower just off the side of the road. Masvyr was inside brewing tea. Pavel ended up buying a Pole of Collapsing, a Candle of the Deep, the Illuminator's Tattoo. Rothin purchased the Dust of Disappearance. He offered them the chance to buy the Bag of Holding but didn't have enough money for it. The rest of the day was uneventful. The session ended with them just an hours walk away from Waterdeep.
Session End Date: Kythorn 26, 1489DR
1380xp per player
Dust of Disappearance, Illuminators Tattoo, Candle of the Deep, Pole of Collapsing, black sapphire 1000gp
29sp, 34cp
Session Start Date: Kythorn 26, 1489DR
They started just outside Waterdeep. On their way into town one of the guards recognized them as the Waterdeep Dragons and thanked them for helping the city. They made their way to the North Ward and found Elbias III's manor. While they were exchanging pleasantries they asked him if he knew the name Ludovicus. Elbias knew that the name was connected to the Blackstaff Academy, but he wasn't sure if he was a student or a teacher. After receiving the 20 Harbor Moons they went back to the Floppy Hat for some rest and relaxation. They received 2 letters when they were away, one for Pavel and one for Mogilny. See Letter 8 and Letter 9. During their downtime Salem spent the first night writing a letter to Thurston Stronghammer and started to learn the Gnomish language. Pavel went to Holyhands House found vestments of Bahamut, a sword named Saphira, and a platinum amulet. He spent the rest of the week researching the demon that spoke to him. He found out that the gem he received was for payment and not cursed. He is also fairly certain that the demons name is Almonrixx, Demon Prince of the 255th layer in the Abyss. Aluza went to the shrines of nature to train in nature for 50gp. Mogilny and Rothin spent their downtime lounging and writing music for Mogilny's birthday party at the Floppy Hat. At the start of Flamerule they rolled for profit and ended up owing 300gp. They paid it to have an extravagant party.
On the second day they were in town, they were picked up at the Floppy Hat by a man with white skin and a blue and silver mask. Mogilny recognized the voice as Mattrim but his face was not the same. Mattrim asked them to put on blindfolds and everyone agreed. Rothin tracked the cart as they drove and figured they were driving to either Castle Waterdeep or the Palace of Waterdeep. They drove for around 10 minutes and then came to a stop inside a large carriage stable. Inside, behind a hidden wall was a stone circle with arcane engravings on the ground. Everyone stepped onto the circle and they were teleported away. They exited into a large cavernous room with tall ceilings and massive stained glass windows. Mattrim took them to an opaque grey wall at the other end of the hall, and offered them the chance to join the Harpers. They all accepted and when they took their Harper pins the grey wall faded to reveal a massive atrium that stretches into the sky. Mattrim called this place the Twilight Hall, and it symbolizes everything that the Harpers want to protect in the realm. Not just the people, but the art and the music as well. After they did a short ceremony, he teleported them back to Waterdeep and said that he'd be in touch.
After their week of downtime, they gathered their supplies and went off to the city of Nightstone to find Ludovicus. On the road they fought a fire giant and some goblins. Getting near Nightstone they started to feel a pressure in their heads. The drawbridge to the city was destroyed so they tied a rope to Rothin and he glided across. Salem and Rothin tied the rope to the other end so that everyone else could cross. Most of the buildings in the town were destroyed by massive boulders, but the church and two farm houses remained. As they approached the church the pressure increased. Pavel cast detect magic and found that the area was illuminated in all different types of magic. On an alter they found an old prayer book for the god Amaunator. On one of the bookmarked pages they found had underlined letters that spelled out "Omniscient Dawn." Once they said it aloud the golden sun in the back of the church sank into the ground forming a descending staircase. As they made their way down, Pavel saw an alarm spell with detect magic and they were able to dispel it without setting it off.
Getting to the bottom they find a room with a golden scroll at the other end. Between them and the scroll was a man in red robes, a locked chest, and another man chained to the wall. When they entered they confirmed that he was indeed Ludovicus. Mogilny persuaded him to divulge why he was working to destroy Waterdeep. He was once a student at the Blackstaff Academy until he became a little too obsessed with using divination to stop criminals before they committed any crimes. He was expelled and then recruited by the Red Wizards of Thay. Now, so many years later he's back and ready to take his revenge. While he was monologuing, everyone else was looking around the room to try and deduce what he had been doing. A shimmering wall of light stood between them and the scroll. The man on the ground appeared unconscious, and the chest was by a chalkboard that had recently been erased. After a minute of talking, Ludovicus challenged them, asking if they were truly hero's. He said asked what they would want to save; a chest that contains all of Ludovicus contacts and jobs in Waterdeeep, or the chained man. He then cast a delayed fireball in the middle of the room, and informed them that he would be paying a visit to all the places that they saved. He then teleported away. Salem used magic to shatter the restraints and carry the man outside. Aluza wildshaped into a gorilla and carried the chest out. Rothin tried using mage hand to pull the scroll through the shimmering field, but the hand was unable to be summoned past the wall. Everyone was able to escape the room before the fireball exploded. When they got back up to the surface, they healed the Masked Lord and opened the chest. True to his word there was a journal with lists of names, jobs, and payments inside. The journal was also sitting on a pile of Thayan currency. They estimated it to be around 12500 gp.
Session End Date: Flamerule 14, 1489DR
1500xp per player
5 Harper Pins, Saphira, Bahamut's Light, Rhythm Makers Drums, adamantine ingot
8pp, 13535gp, 99sp, 32cp
Session Start Date: Flamerule 14, 1489DR
They started just as they escaped the delayed fireball. They took a short rest to count the gold and read some of the ledgers that were left in the chest. Mogilny used comprehend languages to read them and they appeared to be just as Ludovicus described. Names of people, and jobs he was running in the city. After finishing their short rest they searched the town for anything else of note. They found a few trinkets and a painting but nothing else. They then descended into the church again and found that the barrier was still up, but one of the multicolored layers was down. They spend the remainder of the day and after a long rest were able to get the barrier down. There was writing on the outside of the scroll case that they couldn't read, so Mogilny tried to use comprehend languages again. This time when he tried to read it it dealt psychic damage to him and he still couldn't understand it. They decided to ask Golorr what it knew about the scroll. Unlike previous encounters, it was ready and waiting for Aluza in the black ocean. It told Aluza that the scroll is a very ancient and powerful item called a Nether Scroll. Hundreds of years ago humans used the scrolls to learn magic beyond the limits of what mortals should be able to do. Using the scrolls the Netherese Empire was born. He doesn't know how to use them or what happened to the Netherese because when the humans started using them he hid from them. And just after telling Aluza this he lunged at him, trying to force his mind to submit, but he broke free and returned to his body. They decided to take the scroll with them back to Waterdeep.
On the road they encountered a band of orcs traveling south. They stopped them and asked what they were carrying, as they could feel the magical pressure of the artifact. They tried to convince them that they didn't have anything, but shortly after they got into combat. The last thing that happened before they got to the city was running into a group of three green dragon wyrmlings feasting on 3 pigs. They got aggressive when they tried to get near their food but Pavel was able to convince them that they were just passing through and the wyrmlings were too young to know he was a priest of Bahamut so they let them pass.
As they got to Waterdeep, they had to split up as to not bring the scroll within the city walls while it was radiating magic. Rothin and Mogilny went inside with 2000 of the Thayan gold and exchanged it at the bank. They then went to the Floppy Hat to see if Masvyr was still there. Indeed he was, as it appears he had been drinking all day. Mogilny managed to get the price of the bag down to 1700 dragons. Both Mogilny and Rothin kept 100 each for themselves and paid Masvyr's tab off with the rest. They went back outside the gates and found their party. They placed the scroll in the bag of holding and that seemed to mask the magical pressure. They then entered the city without issue. They dropped Masked Lord Elvorth off at his home and then went to to the Floppy Hat to relax for the rest of the day. The next morning they went to see Laurel Silverhand and gave her the ledgers. She said her scribe would start working on making a copy, and then she would return the originals. She cast comprehend languages on the books and took a quick look through them. She said she didn't find any Masked Lords names, but she did find high ranking members of the Lords Alliance. Grand Duke Ulder Ravenguard and Lord Protector Dagult Neverember. She said while it is troubling to see such high profile names, she didn't want to react too soon without having more information. They then asked her if Elvorth had spoken to her yet, and she said no, making them worry that something had happened to him. They quickly rushed over to his house and picked the lock to gain entrance. They heard him talking upstairs with someone they believed to be his wife. They then closed the door, knocked and waited. He answered the door a little surprised to see them and reassured them that he would be speaking to her tonight when all the Masked Lords meet.
They then started a week of downtime. Their first order of business was to trade the rest of the gold in for dragons, and then contacted the carpentry guilds to start work on wealthy renovations for the Floppy Hat. Afterwards they put in an order for 6 Greater Healing potions at Corellon's Crown, and took the adamantine ingot to Steam and Steel to forge a Adamantine Chain Shirt. Aluza continued training with the druids of Sylvanus to gain Nature proficiency. Mogilny continued to write music and preform at the Floppy Hat to draw in more patrons. Pavel started training with a master swordsman to gain proficiency with a longsword. Rothin spent his time keeping his ear to the ground for any news about the Gambinos. Salem continued learning the Gnomish language with Rishaal at the Book Wyrm's Treasure. On the third day of downtime while Rothin was keeping his ear to the ground, he overheard a Whaterdavian Press crier claiming Waternook was attacked. Inquiring further, the crier said that Waternook was attacked yesterday and no one was left alive! Rothin took this information back to the party and they immediately set out to see what they could do. After traveling the four hours to Waternook, they found the town in pretty bad shape. Most of the buildings were still intact, but the lumber equipment was burned down and a group of zombies were at the doors of the guard house trying to break down the door. After a short fight, they convinced the people inside to open the doors. A good majority of the citizens survived, but almost all of the Knights of the Nook were turned into zombies. They cleared the remaining zombies around town and found that unfortunately the mayor was also turned. Having no way to reverse it, they put the mayor down.
Session End Date: Flamerule 26, 1489DR
1065xp per player
Nether Scroll, Discreet Bag of Holding, painting worth 25gp
2pp, 25gp, 43sp, 107cp
Session Start Date: Flamerule 26, 1489DR
The heroes started in Waternook just after saving the town from the undead. They made their way back to Waterdeep to find Mattrim Merg and request the use of teleportation. When they got to Waterdeep they stopped at the Floppy Hat to see if Mattrim was around, but Kayla informed them that he had just left a few minutes ago. They then went to the Silver Strings and found him inside. They caught him up on what they found in Nightstone and their dealings with the Red Wizard. Mattrim sent a message to Kendel, asking him to teleport to Waterdeep so that they could all go to the Twilight Hall and store the Nether Scroll somewhere safe. After teleporting to the Hall they handed the scroll off to Mattrim and Kendel described the intricacies and dangers of teleportation. The Harpers didn't have a teleportation circle in Goldenfields, and Kendel had never been there, so the risk of a mishap was high. But luckily they saved the notes they had from many months ago, and that would be enough to ensure a safe teleport. They all readied up and teleported to the large statue of Chauntea in the entrance of town.
As they teleport in, they're immediately hit with the smell of smoke and ash. A fireball flies overhead into a nearby field and the wheat goes up in flames. Just as they arrive, combat starts as they run into a patrolling band of shadows. Pavel destroys the shadows and Rothin climbs to the top of the statue to fire down on them. Just after they deal with the shadows, Kendel offers some healing and then says he is going to wait outside of town as he is the only Harper on the Sword Coast right now that can teleport. As that is happening, Salem rushes over to a nearby fire and starts to put it out with ray of frost. Just as he's doing so, zombies start emerging from the field and in the distance they spot Ludovicus flying in. Ludovicus launches a fireball at Salem and the horde attacks the party. Aluza moonbeams a group of undead, Rothin fires from his high vantage point, Pavel takes down a plague spreader. But not before everyone nearby is poisoned by its poisonous miasma. Salem and Ludovicus trade blows, but Ludovicus manages to redirect a few of Salem's crows back at him. Just after, Ludovicus starts to cast a spell at Salem, but he just manages to resist. Kendel goes down after a nasty hit from the plague spreader, but is managed to be stabilized. Ludovicus places a delayed blast fireball at the base of the statue and then dimension doors away. Before they chased after him, Aluza cast dispel magic and managed to dispel the fireball. Just after that, Aluza wildshaped into a direwolf and the group took off in the direction of the abbey.
Rothin arrived first and climbed up to the top of the roof to get a batter view inside. Inside he saw dead bodies and behind a statue on the third level, Ludovicus was hiding drinking potions. Aluza arrived shortly after and went through the front door. He used his direworlf keen senses to detect him on the third level, so he started heading there. Ludovicus detected that they were here, so he activated his contingency by speaking its command word. He multiplied into four and then cast telekinesis to try and throw Aluza off the balcony. Just after the rest of the group arrived and started to make their way up to Ludovicus. Pavel stayed by the door just in case he tried to run. Rothin climbed one of the pillars to get a better angle on him and landed a few good shots. After failing to throw Aluza off, he instead reached his hand up and pulled the glass ceiling down on them. Both Rothin and Aluza got hit, but the others were sheltered from the falling glass. The party converges in the stairs of the third level; Rothin firing from the balcony he glided over to, Aluza biting and trying to knock him over, Pavel's spiritual longsword slashing at him, Salem shooting crows, and Mogilny making quick jabs with his rapiers. But as everyone got close, Ludovicus created a bead of flame in his hand and hurled it at the ground, knocking Rothin down. Seeing that from across the room, Pavel decided to abandon the door and rush in to help. The group tried to keep hitting him, but Ludovicus kept shielding their blows. He turned to Salem and reached out a necrotic hand that drained the moisture from the air around him, and Salem went down too.
As Salem hit the ground, he awoke on a battlefield. A fire crackled in front of him, and just behind it sat a man in dark leather coat with a black wide brimmed hat. The man had a deep gravely voice, and told Salem that he was wondering when he would get here. Salem remembered the battlefield as the same place that he died, and was called back to life by the Raven Queen. He looked down at his chest and saw a gaping hole where his heart should be, the blood draining down his clothes and pooling in the mud. The man looked up and said that Salem should have died here. As he saw his face, he could tell the man looked human, with gold pieces where his eyes should be. The man stood up and said that he'd be seeing Salem soon.
Just as Pavel rounded the corner, Aluza got another bite in, and Mogilny lunged forward and pierced Ludovicus in the heart. He fell backwards, but his tattoos glowed green, and he drew another breath. Mogilny took his second attack and drove his rapier through his heart again. This time slashing and twisting as the blade came out. As the light left his eyes, Ludovicus smiled and said "thank you." But just then the wind began to pick up, and the corpse began to move, as if puppeteered by an invisible force. It spoke in a voice that was not it's own. "So you've managed to kill one. Derived some sort of pleasure from it I'm sure. Worry not Dragons of Waterdeep, your time will come soon." And then the body went limp again and the wind died down. Leaving only silence in the abbey. They searched through his stuff and found a few magic items and a letter. As they were short resting they opened the letter, which cast a programed illusion. See Letter 10. As they listened to the letter, near the end Ludovicus mentions someone's name but as he says it, everyone takes psychic damaged and cant understand what he's saying.
After finding Kendel and helping out around town, the new High Priestess of Sylvanus offered them a place to stay for the night. After accepting and long resting, she gave them a gift and a chance to join the Emerald Enclave. Everyone but Pavel accepted the Oak Fathers Blessing, as he was worried about upsetting Bahamut. The gift they received was a Emerald Enclave Rucksack, which allowed them to produce food three times a day. They exchanged pleasantries and teleported back to Waterdeep. When they arrived back in town they went to the Silver Strings to report back to Mattrim. They tell him everything they know about the letter and that the Red Wizards know about another scroll in Icewind Dale. He asks them to stay in town for a few days while he gets his orders from the High Harpers, and they agree. The night they get back Rothin and Pavel drink enough to roll for carousing. They end up in a shady club with a couple extra gold and their cloths in a pile. They agree to never speak of it again. As the days go on they return to their downtime activities. However, the day before the Midsummer festival, Laurel Silverhand stops by the Floppy Hat to get a drink and invite the group over to Palace Waterdeep for a small exchange of gifts for saving the city. Mogilny accepts and informs the group that they need to arrive before sundown tomorrow.
The day of the festival arrives and the city is alight with music, food, drink, and dancing. The group spends most of the day at the Floppy Hat. Aluza, Salem and Rothin spend the day chatting with the patrons, drawing in more people from the streets to come and have a drink. Pavel helps Kayla with the extra crowd by bussing tables and carrying drinks. And Mogilny plays an all day performance featuring his new composition inspired by the Emerald Enclave. Almost everyone they've saved and met so far on their adventures stop in and spend some time in the Tavern; Renaer Nevermeber, Volo, Fala from Corellons Crown, Mulstafar, Embric and Avi from Steam and Steel, and Rishaal from Book Wyrms Treasure. As the day draws on a good portion of the patrons step out to find a good view of the fireworks. The group leaves to meet Laurel just before the show starts. As they make their way up the stairs of Palace Waterdeep, the crowd that has gathered outside starts to cheer their names. Word has gotten around that the Dragons of Waterdeep have saved the city yet again. Inside, Laurel had laid out boxes for each of the party members. Pavel received a +1 Shield, Mogilny received a set of Uncommon Glamerweave, Aluza received a +1 Moon Sickle, Rothin received a Starshot Hand Crossbow, and Salem received a Badge of the Watch. After they took time to try their gifts, Laurel and them stepped out onto the steps and watched as the Mages of the Blackstaff Academy put on a firework display like none of them had seen before.
As the sun set on the Sea of Swords, lights flew across the sky and burst into colorful displays of shapes and sounds. As the show went on, a paper bird flew between the crowds and landed in Salems hands. See Letter 11. Salem kept the letter to himself for now, as to not foul the mood of the light show. But as the show died down, and the revelers moved on to taverns for a nights long party. The group made their way back to the Floppy Hat, where inside Mattrim Merg was waiting for them. He said that he had just gotten word from the High Harpers, and they wanted the Dragons of Waterdeep to head to Icewind Dale and find the Nether Scroll before the Red Wizards can. The group was torn. Salem and Pavel wanted to head to Baldur's Gate and investigate what was happening there, but Mogilny and Rothin wanted to follow the trail of the Nether Scrolls. They ultimately decided that the greater good would be to track down the scroll. Mattrim reassured them that they would be sending Harpers to investigate the disappearance of Elturel and Grand Duke Ulder Ravengurad. They went to bed, ready to head out on the next leg of their grand adventure.
Session End Date: Midsummer, 1489DR
3925xp per player
Red Wizard Robes, Atlas of Endless Horizons, Ioun Stone of Awareness, Emerald Enclave Rucksack, +1 Shield, Uncommon Glamerweave, +1 Moon Sickle, Starshot Hand Crossbow, Badge of the Watch
-100gp Floppy Hat expenses