Since the fireball slew two Zhents, and Nim’s self-constructed nimblewright may have been the perpetrator of said fireball, Luth proposes that the rogue nimblewright might be in the possession of, or working for, the Xanathar. While Janky manages Lif’t for the day, the party drops into a sewer access suspected to be the escape route of the cloaked limper who presumably made off with the Stone of Golor. There is neither trace nor detection of a nimblewright near the Xanathar hideout, and the search is abandoned after a filthy fight with a couple of crocodiles and a swarm of centipedes.
The nearest ladder takes the party up into the docks district very near Reynar’s estate. Intuitive Luth fancies a long-shot chance that Reynar might tell them something about Dalakhar, the gnome fireball decedent whose undead talk with the Force Gray cleric revealed his association with Reynar’s father.
The party heads for the sea to wash off before visiting Reynar. The nimblewright detector picks up a signal. While Smoll bandages her centipede bites, Reade triangulates on a definite nimblewright presence around a pair of ships, the Heartbreaker and the Hellraiser, docked out on a pier where brightly dressed carnies disembark parade floats and a menagerie of exotic animals, courtesy of the Sea Maidens Faire. A parade ensues. A quick convo with a carny reveals there will be an even better parade after dark that will, yes, include nimblewrights, as there tends to be at least one on every Sea Maidens Faire ship. As the parade returns, a chest is loaded into a dinghy and rowed out to a third ship anchored in the harbor.
The party drops in on Reynar at home. Luth breaks the news of Dalakhar’s unfortunate demise and consequential loss of the Stone of Golor. Reynar regrets being constantly pulled back into his father’s sordid dealings and wishes the dragon hoard would be returned to the good people of Waterdeep. That said, Dalakhar was indeed a faithful friend of Degalt. The Stone of Golor will presumably reveal the location of the stash to whoever can attune it, but attuning the stone may be the tricky part as depicted in the hit play, Dungeons & Dragons. He asks the party to return the next day after Reynar talks to some contacts.
The party enjoys a five-star fish meal at the underrated Ship’s Prow tavern to kill time.
The night parade does feature a pair of nimblewrights as promised, one from each docked ship. While the self-lighted parade is out, Reade determines that the remaining nimblewright signal emanates from the ship out in the harbor, not unexpected if every SMF ship would carry one. Luth still worries that Nim’s creation might seek to flee the city, and the ship out in the harbor could offer the perfect opportunity. Another chest is rowed out to that ship.
The party returns to Lif’t for the evening before returning to Reynar. Reynar drops a primo lead on them: a follow up interview with Fala Lefaliir results in the positive identification of the cloaked, limping absconder of the SoG to be Urstul Floxin, suspected associate of the Zhent Black Network. An eyewitness report identified Urstul Floxin entering Gralhund Villa in the north ward immediately following the fireball explosion, but Lord Gralhund’s assertion that no such encounter occurred precludes any warrant. Lord Gralhund’s legitimate business in mercenary and weapons supply is entirely unrelated.