Category: Waterdeep Dragon Heist

Yawning Portal regulars Reade Hadrah, Jankorean “Janky” Talereos, Luth Winddriver, Klayrlagoon “Smoll” Franzellakella, and Ktogyo “Togy” Lacewind gather with their local friends for another evening of revelry. A fight breaks out between Smoll’s friend Yagra Stonefist and several tattooed cohorts of a nemesis faction. Yagra, a member of the Zhentarim guild, beats a representative of the rival Xanathar guild, Krentz, nearly to death. Mindful of the severe Waterdeep laws, Smoll and the others quickly intervene to pull the combatants apart.

No sooner does one crisis end than the next begins. A troll, aggressively pursued by several stirges, heaves himself up a hoist and out of the giant, central well hole that is the primary feature of the Yawning Portal tavern, Durnan proprietor. Durnan, a tavern keeper of many seasons, engages the troll with his greatsword and directs the party, the only patrons not sensible enough to flee, to engage the stirges. The party competently eliminates the stirges and even makes some contribution to the troll’s destruction and terminal ignition.

Grateful Durnan fronts their hospitality for the evening. Lawyer Luth snaps his suit clean of stirges muck, but there is almost no talk of litigation regarding whether Durnan knew, or should have known, the tavern produces life endangering trolls.

A gregarious Volothamp, in need of some competent adventurers such as these, introduces himself. A friend of his, Floon Blagmaar, went missing directly after Volo departed their meeting at the Skewered Dragon, a dive in the Zhent-controlled docks, two nights ago. Floon, a flamboyant ginger more handsome than smart, supports himself as an escort and by knowing compromising information about a noble. Floon’s value to Volo, possibly as relates to Volo’s next great work of reference on spirits and specters, measures in the hundreds of gold dragons. A 10-gold purse each right out of Volo’s pocket retains the party to locate Floon with the promise of ten times that upon completion.

The party performs some casual interviews with friendly bar patrons and heals up. They head out to the Skewered Dragon to investigate Floon’s disappearance but encounter a crime scene blocking an intersection on the way. Six slaughtered people cover the road. Three blood drenched humans have been detained by city watch. The city watch is not particularly disposed to answer a bunch of questions from a passing adventuring party, and the party must backtrack to find a way around which takes them to a curio shop featuring a taxidermized beholder in the window.

Old Zablov’s Shop, Schnikneg Flintcheek proprietor, is decidedly purple-themed. The trinkets, the beholder, the halfling pipeleaf: all purple. Schniknet himself is a purple-decked gnome with nine eye tattoos adorning his face and head in the same fashion as the Xanathar thugs in the Yawning Portal.

Gleaned from interviews:

• Degalt Neverember was a lord of Waterdeep who allegedly embezzled a fortune of gold dragons, was discovered, and run out of town. The fortune remains, supposedly hidden under the town.
• Degalt’s son Reynar Neverember is nothing like Degalt, is generally dreamy and likeable, excellent in a fight, would give all the orphans shirts off his back. Regard for Reynar, at least in the Yawning Portal, is suspiciously favorable considering Reynar has a seemingly inexhaustible and mysterious source of wealth and continues to reside at his father’s four-story mansion down by the seaward. Reynar’s appearance is notably like Floon’s and, so far, only Durnam substantiates that Volo’s friend Floon exists and is not one-and-the-same as Reynar. A botched kidnapping of Floon from mistaken identity is a possibility.
• Zhentarim, aka the Zhents, aka the Black Network, is a shadow organization that deals in weapons and mercenary work. They seem to regard themselves as honorable if criminal unlike the Xanathar who are criminal and thuggish. Yagra can make introductions to Davil Starsong for potential applicants.
• Xanathar is a murder-for-entry gang or possibly a cult. Known adherents seem to identify themselves with facial tattoos of eyes. Competition for the gold may be escalating recent violence.

Punishment for a crime can include one or more of the following, based on the nature of the crime, who or what the crime is committed against, and the criminal record of the convicted:

• Death
• Exile (for a number of years or summers)
• Flogging (a set number of strokes)
• Hard labor (for a period of days, months, or years depending on the seriousness of the crime)
• Imprisonment in the dungeons of Castle Waterdeep (for a period of days or months depending on the seriousness of the crime)
• Fine (payable to the city; inability to pay the fine leads to imprisonment and/or hard labor)
• Damages (payable to the injured party or victim’s kin; inability to pay damages leads to imprisonment and/or hard labor)
• Edict (forbidding the convicted from doing something; violation of an edict can result in imprisonment, hard labor, and/or a fine)

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I. Crimes against Lords, Officials, and Nobles

Assaulting or impersonating a Lord: death

Assaulting or impersonating an official or noble: flogging, imprisonment up to a tenday, and fine up to 500 gp

Blackmailing an official: flogging and exile up to 10 years

Bribery or attempted bribery of an official: exile up to 20 years and fine up to double the bribe amount

Murder of a Lord, official, or noble: death

Using magic to influence a Lord without consent: imprisonment up to a year, and fine or damages up to 1,000 gp

Using magic to influence an official without consent: fine or damages up to 1,000 gp and edict

II. Crimes against the City

Arson: death or hard labor up to 1 year, with fines and/or damages covering the cost of repairs plus 2,000 gp

Brandishing weapons without due cause: imprisonment up to a tenday and/or fine up to 10 gp

Espionage: death or permanent exile

Fencing stolen goods: fine equal to the value of the stolen goods and edict

Forgery of an official document: flogging and exile for 10 summers

Hampering justice: fine up to 200 gp and hard labor up to a tenday

Littering: fine up to 2 gp and edict

Poisoning a city well: death

Theft: flogging followed by imprisonment up to a tenday, hard labor up to 1 year, or fine equal to the value of the stolen goods

Treason: death

Vandalism: imprisonment up to a tenday plus fine and/or damages covering the cost of repairs plus up to 100 gp

Using magic to influence an official without consent: fine or damages up to 1,000 gp and edict

III. Crimes against the Gods

Assaulting a priest or lay worshiper: imprisonment up to a tenday and damages up to 500 gp

Disorderly conduct within a temple: fine up to 5 gp and edict).

Public blasphemy against a god or church: edict

Theft of temple goods or offerings: imprisonment up to a tenday and damages up to double the cost of the stolen items

Tomb-robbing: imprisonment up to a tenday and damages covering the cost of repairs plus 500 gp

IV. Crimes against Citizens

Assaulting a citizen: imprisonment up to a tenday, flogging, and damages up to 1,000 gp

Blackmailing or intimidating a citizen: fine or damages up to 500 gp and edict

Burglary: imprisonment up to 3 months and damages equal to the value of the stolen goods plus 500 gp

Damaging property or livestock: damages covering the cost of repairs or replacement plus up to 500 gp

Disturbing the peace: fine up to 25 gp and edict

Murdering a citizen without justification: death or hard labor up to 10 years, and damages up to 1,000 gp paid to the victim’s kin

Murdering a citizen with justification: exile up to 5 years or hard labor up to 3 years or damages up to 1,000 gp paid to the victim’s kin

Robbery: hard labor up to 1 month and damages equal to the value of the stolen goods plus 500 gp

Slavery: flogging and hard labor up to 10 years

Using magic to influence a citizen without consent: fine or damages up to 1,000 gp and edict

• Klayrlagoon “Smoll” Franzellakella – Goliath Fighter

Klayrlagoon “Smoll” Franzellakella, a professional athlete, was the Team Captain of the Nomads, a Goat Ball team. But her real passion is Stubborn-Root. After becoming the reigning Stubborn-Root Champion of the Icespire Peak Goliath Open Invitational, she left her family in the Sword Mountains in search of a new challenge. She needs a way of outdoing her previous accomplishments, earning the right to survive.

• Ktogyo “Togy” Lacewind – Wood Elf Cleric

The Lacewind family farm grows halfling pipeleaf. What little they don’t themselves consume is sold at a profit great enough to keep Ktogyo “Togy” Lacewind with the clergy in service of Angharradh. The duck does not live on bread alone. Namaste.

Togy’s order has determined it is time, past time even, for him to complete some fieldwork. That’s just fine with Togy, uncouth even for a wood elf and far more comfortable imbibing and wagering at the Yawning Portal than studying theological texts. The wisest owl learns more from eating rooks than reading books. Namaste.

• Luth Winddriver – Human Warlock

Luth Winddriver used to be a respectable lawyer of Waterdeep, before he went missing, that is. After disappearing without a trace for three months, he returns with a head of white hair and a colder presence. He went back to practicing law, but rumors began swirling. Eventually, the people learned of an extra-planar pact, but with who? With Luth remaining silent on the issue, the rumors got worse. Asmodeus? Orcus? A horror beyond the stars? With no one willing to take him on as a lawyer, Luth fell from his former glory, losing everything. Now, he rents a room and spends his time at the Yawning Portal, looking for potential clients and hanging out with his new tavern buddies.

• Reade Hadrah – Human Monk

Reade Hadrah is a novice mendicant from the Abbey of Verdant Hope, dedicated to the works of Chauntea, and located among the farming communities north of Daggerford.

He joined the order after the entire village where he lived, including his master’s villa, grotto and vineyard, was destroyed with fire by the dragon Karrnsyrrl three years ago. His period of indenture not being fully served, his debts were about to be sold to the highest bidder. Since the entire region had no more crops to tend, malt or barley to brew, or grapes to ferment, this meant being transported away from the place he considers home. Instead, he ran away and dedicated himself to the local religious order. This really only worked because the monks of the order recognized the value of someone with brewing experience and convinced (bullied) Reade’s master to commute the rest of his debt.

The next few years were difficult, as the life of a deliberately impoverished farming battle monk did not always gel with Reade’s expectations. He spent much of his time annoying the Abbott with suggestions that they abandon the mendicant/farm-hand life and begin selling beer and meade to both support a more comfortable lifestyle, and to raise funds to rebuild the local crops. This has earned Reade many hours of enforced silent meditation, and additional crop hand duty. Eventually (only after he had taught a handful of other monks the indispensable craft of beer and wine making) the Abbott gave him the task of a lifetime.

Reade has been sent to Waterdeep to request financial backing from the merchant houses there for a comprehensive rebuilding of the crops decimated in Karrnsyrrl’s attack. He has been told to focus everything he has into succeeding in this ‘essential endeavor’, and not to return to the Abbey without the resources to replant the countryside north of daggerford.

Desperate to both prove himself to the other Hadrah (believers/monks), and to see his home returned to its previous abundance, he threw himself into the task. But, after getting laughed out of five different waterdhavian merchant houses, his resolve is waning. 

These days Reade spends his mornings on the street begging for the coin to drown his sorrows at the Yawning Portal in the afternoon, then passing out under a table late each night. The bartender has taken uncharacteristic pity on him and not thrown him out yet. In fact, he has even allowed him to wash up using the spent dishwater at the end of each late-night shift. But, despite Reade’s charm, that probably won’t last forever.

Surely there is another way to raise the funds he needs so he can return to Daggerford and earn the acceptance of his order. He just needs to think outside the box a bit…

• Jankorean “Janky” Talereos – Half-Elf Rogue Bard

Jankorean “Janky” Talereos, a half-elf, has spent his life in Waterdeep, and has been on the periphery of the “family business” his entire life.  After fleeing the forests from some long-forgotten horror, Janky’s ancestors migrated to the city, and have since spent many years developing a more-than-moderately successful criminal empire.

Years ago, Janky was serving as a lookout during a “family outing”, and he was cornered by some of the city watch.  He was unable to convince them of his fabricated tale, that of a lute-playing busker who is just out late trying to make a buck, and as a result, his Uncle Jornich was captured, badly beaten, and imprisoned for a number of years.

Since then, Janky looks at life (and his family’s business) a little differently.  He’s left the family empire and gone off on his own.  He still loves to track down the perfect mark, but his definition of perfect has changed.  He’s gotten a lot better at the “art of the lie”.  And he’s practiced the lute.  A lot.

Janky spends a lot of time in the Yawning Portal, enjoying the atmosphere, playing cards, occasionally performing with his lute, and paying close attention to the clientele.