fsrt

OLD MAKES PEOPLE DO STRANGE THINGS, AND • lf Manshoon is the villain, the stone is brought to
Thrakkus, a dragonborn butcher in the Field Ward
Lord Neverember's hidden cache of dragons who chops up bodies for the Zhentarim.
is up for grabs. The Stone ofGolorr knows
where the treasure vault is located and how to - - - -FINDING THE NIMBLEWRIGHT
get inside, and much of this chapter focuses on
the characters' hunt for the artifact. The chal- If the characters can't pick up the trail after the nimble-
lenges before them depend on the villain (or wright escapes with the Stone ofGolorr, they might turn
villains) that you selected to oppose them. Whatever the to the City Watch, the City Guard. or a friendly faction
season, a villain's goals are simple: obtain the stone, find for help, which comes forth in ld4 days. If it occurs to
the Vault of Dragons, and claim the treasure within. none of the characters, an NPC suggests that the party
visit the House of Jnspired Hands to see whether the
SETTING THE STAGE priests of Gond know a way to find it (see "Nim's Se-
cret," page 46). Thereafter, armed with Nim's nimble-
In chapter 3, Lady Gralhund's nimblewright took the wright detector, the characters can sweep the city. But
Stone ofGolorr and fled with it. The nimblewright de- by the time they find the nimblewright, it has already
livers the artifact to a location and leaves it there for the delivered the Stone ofGolorr to its intended destination.
main villain or villains to retrieve:
CAUGHT AT LAST!
If Xanathar is the villain, the stone is delivered to a
mage named Grinda Garloth. She owns an apparatus When it is finally found, the nimblewrigbt (see appen-
ofKwalish and lives in Mistshore, a seedy neighbor- dix B) is wearing a stolen cloak and hiding under a
hood built on a dock in the Dock Ward. pile of uncollected garbage in an alley. Exactly where
• If the Cassalanters are the villains, the stone is left in and when the characters stumble upon it is up to you.
their family crypt in Waterdeep's cemetery, the City of With nowhere to go and no other purpose, it fights until
the Dead. A halfiing necromancer gets to it before the destroyed. Regardless of where and when this event
Cassalanters or the characters do. takes place, six members of the City Watch (veterans)
• lfjarlaxle is the villain, the stone is delivered to arrive as the fight ends. Drawn by the commotion, the
Fenerus Stormcastle, a lamplighter in the Trades Watch couldn't care less about the nimblewright and
Ward. Penerus has a criminal history and is currently believes any plausible story the characters tell them. (As
in trouble with the law. a construct, it had no rights to speak of.) The officers

CHAPTER 4 I D RAGON SEASO ~

are near the end of their s hift and eager to move on; • 1fManshoon is the villain, "Thrakkus'' is written by
they urge the characters to go home and cause no fur- the X on a map of the Field Ward. (The X marks the
ther mischief. location ofThrakkus's butcher shop and residence.)

LADY GRALHUND'S MAP ENCOUNTER CHAINS

Lady Gralhund gave her nimblewright a map showing Eight encounters comprise the characters' hunt for the
where to take the Stone ofGolorr, but she forgot to Stone ofGolorr and the Vault of Dragons. They form a
tell it to destroy the map once the stone was delivered. chain, and their order is determined by your choice of
Characters who search the nimblewright's remains find villain and season. The diagram on the facing page illus-
the folded-up map, which depicts one of Waterdeep's trates the order of encounters in each chain. IfXanathar
wards. Written on the map is an X with a name next to is the villain, for example, the chain begins with encoun-
it. This map points the characters to where they need to ter 2, "Mistshore," and ends with encounter 6, "Theater."
be, setting off a sequence of encounters (see "Encoun-
ter Chains" below). The main villain determines which Don't feel bound by an encounter chain. Let the char-
ward the map depicts and what name is written on it: acters' decisions and actions drive the story. You can
change the order in which encounters happen, remove
IfXanathar is the villain, "Grinda Garloth" is written encounters you don't need, or create new encounters.
by the X on a map of the Dock Ward. (The X marks the You can also modify encounters to suit your tastes.
dock neighborhood of Mistshore, where Grinda lives.)
• If the Cassalanters are the villains, the name "Cas- If the characters stray, they might find themselves at a
salanter" is written by the X on a map of the City of the loss for what to do next. You have a couple of easy ways
Dead. (The X marks the location of the Cassalanter to guide them back on track:
mausoleum.)
• IfJarlaxle is the villain, "Fenerus Stormcastle" is writ- A friendly faction that has information about the
ten by the X on a map of the Trades Ward. (Residents whereabouts of the Stone ofGolorr whereabouts can
of the Trades Ward know Fenerus. He's a lamplighter bring that knowledge to the characters.
with an alley dwelling. The X marks the alley.) • A treacherous underling of the villain reveals the loca-
tion of the Stone ofGolorr for a price.
OBTAINING THE STONE OF GOLORR
SPRING ENCOUNTER CHAIN
The Stone ofColorr possesses an intelligent, alien intellect
and has enough prescience to realize that the characters Ah, springtime-when beholder eyestalks are in bloom.
are destined to find it. The stone doesn't want to be found The Stone ofGoiorrwas originally snatched from Xana-
too easily, though. thar, and the eye tyrant wants it back. It sends monsters
and minions to do its dirty work.
Ifthe characters obtain the stone earlier than expected, it
proves uncooperative and tries to separate itselffrom the SUMMARY
party as quickly as possible, refusing to share any knowl- The stone is delivered to Grinda Garloth, a mage who
edge with characters in the meantime. The stone tries to has worked for Xanathar in the past. When she refuses
take control of anyone who attunes to it, triggering a con- to give up the stone, members of the Xanathar Guild
fl ict (see "Sentient Magic Items" in chapter 7 ofthe Dun- try to take it by force (encounter 2, "Mistshore"). After
geon Master's Guide). If the stone fails to take control, it the characters defeat these attackers, they learn that
can't try again against that character until the next dawn. If Grinda told her rat familiar to hide the stone in her fam-
the stone succeeds in taking control of its owner, it orders ily's crypt in the City of the Dead. From this point on,
that character to deliver it to whichever location sets into the characters are followed by a gazer (see appendix B),
motion the sequence ofencounters discussed in this chap- through whose eyes Xanathar can see. If this gazer is
ter (see "Encounter Chains"). Once the stone divests itself killed, Xanathar doesn't send another one to replace it.
of its current owner, it tries to erase all knowledge of itself
from that character's mind (see the item's description in Losser Mirklav, a halfling necromancer, raids the Gar-
appendix A). Any player whose character is forced to for- loth mausoleum and takes the stone shortly before the
get about the stone carries the burden of roleplaying that characters arrive (encounter 4, "Mausoleum"). As they
memory loss. You can award inspiration to that character emerge from the mausoleum, members of the Xanathar
as a way to acknowledge the player's good roleplaying. Guild attack them, believing they have the stone. A clue
left behind in the mausoleum leads the characters to
As chapter 4 unfolds, you decide when it's time for the an old windmiU in the Southern Ward and a pair of
characters to have a chance of securing the Stone ofGolorr. grave robbers (encounter 10, "Converted Windmill").
Try to keep it out of their hands for as long as possible to Fearing arrest, the grave robbers point them to a cellar
maximize the suspense. complex under the Trades Ward (encounter 9, "Cellar
Complex"). When the characters arrive, they find Losser
Once the characters have earned the Stone ofGo/orr, it surrounded by foes and kenku working for the Xana-
no longer tries to take control ofthem. Acharacter can thar Guild making off with the stone. A chase through
attune to it and learn the following information: the streets on or before Trolltide (encounter 3, "Street
Chase") ends when the kenku, fearing capture. duck
• The location of the Vault of Dragons (see "Vault of Drag- into an old tower (encounter 7, "Old Tower"). If they are
ons," page 94) caught and confronted, the kenku hand over the stone.

• The three keys required to unlock the vault's doors (see
"Vault Keys," page 90)

• The name of the vault's gold dragon guardian, and the
powers ofthe staff in its possession (see the description
of the dragonstaffofAhghairon in appendixA)

OFl'APTER 4- I DRACON SEASON

ENCOUNT ER CHAINS BY S EASON

SPRING SUMMER AUTUMN W INTER

Xanathar The Cassalanters j a rlaxle Baenre Manshoon

ENCOUN TER 2 J LENCOUNTER 4 , ENCOUNTE~ !Q,J~
MISTSHORE MAUSOLEUM ALLEY
ENCOUNTER
ENCOUNTER 4 : I I CONVERTED

MAUSOLEUM T ENCOUNTER 10: ENCOUNTER 9: ~WINDMILL

ENCOUNTE D ~ CONVERTED CELLAR COMPLEX ENCOUNTER 1:
CONVERTED
WINDMILL WINDMILL ~ ~ ALLEY

r II TENCOUNTER 5: ENCOUNTE~ i--;;:.COUNTE~
THEATER ROOFTOP CHASE
ENCOUNTER 9: 6'Jll
ROOFTOP CHASE ENCOUNTER
CELLAR COMPLEX THEATER
_JL
ENCOUNTER 3: @~UNTE~ l 1I]
ENCOUNTER 1: URTHOUSE ENCOUNTER 3,
STREET CHASE STREET CHASE
ALLEY II
ENCOUNTER 7:
ENCOUNTER 3: l ENCOUNTER 7: ~NCOUNTER2, ~
OLD TOWER MISTSHORE
STREET CHASE OLD TOWER

""i r JI

ENCOUNTER 9: ~
ENCOUNTER 5:1
CELLAR COMPLEX
......R,_O_O_FTOP C_HA_S_E,...

ENCOUNTER l: 1ENCOUNTER 8: ENCOUNTER 2: JENCOUNTER 7:
OLD TOWER
ALLEY COURTHOUSE MISTSHORE
II
II ENCOUNTEU
CONVERTED ENCOUNTER 4:
}ENCOUNTER 7: WINDMILL
OLD TOWER MAUSOLEUM
1-V-'"'ii

WllTEROE EP
5 6 11 W llRD

CHAPTE.R 4 I DRAGON SEASON

The Xanathar Guild makes one last attempt to regain magister (encounter 8, "Courthouse"). Meanwhile, the
the stone (encounter 1, "Alley"). Any character who be- doppelganger tries to get the stone back.
comes attuned to the stone learns that the Vault of Drag-
ons lies beneath a theater in the Castle Ward (encounter Any character who becomes attuned to the Stone
6, "Theater"). ofColorr learns that the Vault of Dragons is hidden
under an old tower in the Sea Ward (encounter 7, "Old
W E AT H ER E FFECT S Tower"). When they arrive al the lower, they encounter
its new owner, who is discussing renovations with vari-
Until the encounter chain is complete, the following ous local guild members.
weather effects a re in play.
W EATHER EFFECT S
Heavy Rain. Heavy rain falls from noon until mid-
night. Creatures in the rain have disadvantage on Wis- Until the encounter chain is complete, the folJowing
dom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or sight. weather effect is in play.
The rain also extinguishes open Rames. Visibility is
reduced to 60 feet. Heat Wave. During the day, a character without
access to dri nkable water must succeed on a DC 10
Thick Fog. From midnight until noon, the city is en- Constitution saving throw at the end of each encounter
gulfed in thick fog. Creatures in the fog have disadvan- in the chain or gain one level of exhaustion. The saving
tage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight. throw is made with disadvantage if the character is
Visibility is reduced to 30 feet. wearing medium or heavy armor. Characters who have
resistance or immunity to fire automatically succeed on
SUMMER ENCOUNTER CHAIN the saving throw.

As Waterdavians contend with sweltering heat, the Cas- AUTUMN ENCOUNTER CHAIN
salanters send disciples of their Asmodeus-worshiping
cult to seize the Stone ofColorr while deftly avoiding Deception and misdirection arejarlaxle's forte, and he
entanglements with local authorities. likes to trick his rivals into working for him. He steers
the characters toward the Stone ofColorr and lees them
SUMMA RY think they're always one step ahead. Drow player char-
acters who are members of Bregan D'aerthe might find
The characters arrive at the Cassalanter mausoleum to their loyalty to the party put to the test.
find several dead cultists inside (encounter 4, "Mauso-
leum"). A left-for-dead survivor reveals that these cult- SU MMARY
ists were betrayed by two of their own. The characters
head to an old windmill in the Southern Ward where the The characters visit the residence of Fenerus Storm-
cult fanatics practice their diabolical faith (encounter 10, castle, a lamplighter and retired brigand who funnels
"Converted Windmill'"). Spined devils swoop in, snatch information to Bregan D'aerthe. They arrive to find the
the stone, and flee, setting up a rooftop chase (encounter place ransacked (encounter l, "Alley"). The duergar
5, "Rooftop Chase"). who looted the residence work for the Xanathar Guild,
and Bregan D'aerthe spies have tracked them to a
The spined devils deliver the stone to a hire-coach cellar complex in the Southern Ward. In the guise of
parked in an alley(encounter 1, "Alley"). Inside the Laeral Silverhand,jarlaxle steers the characters in that
coach is Victoro Cassalanter's valet, Willifort Crowelle, direction (encounter 9, "Cellar Complex"). A search of
a doppelganger in tiefling form. As the hire-coach flees, the cellar complex yields a fake stone, but not the real
a street chase ensues (encounter 3, "Street Chase"). Stone ofColorr. With no other leads, the characters can
When a crowd cuts off his escape route, Willifort leaps follow up with "Laeral" at a theater in the Dock Ward
out of the hire-coach and tries to lose himself in the (encounter 6, "Theater").Jarlaxle makes the characters
crowd. In the confusion, street urchins snatch the stone. an offer they can't refuse, setting his agents on them if
The characters catch up to the children in their cellar they dare to do so.
hideout (encounter 9, "Cellar Complex").
Once he realizes the Xanalhar Guild doesn't have
With the Stone ofColorr in their possession, the the slone,Jarlaxle asks the characters to interrogate
characters emerge from the cellar complex only to find Fenerus to find out where he hid it.jarlaxle has learned
themselves surrounded by members of the City Watch. that Fenerus is awaiting trial at a courthouse in the Cas-
They are arrested for one or more crimes and taken to tle Ward (encounter 8, "Courthouse"). Fenerus wants
a courthouse in the Dock Ward to face sentencing by a immunity for all of his past crimes. The characters are
in no position to grant his wish, but they might threaten
IF A V I LLAIN GETS THE STONE him, persuade him, or use magic to charm him. If he is
compelled to reveal the stone's location, Fenerus points
If a main villain acquires the Stone ofGolorr, it takes that the characters to an old tower in the Dock Ward (en-
villain 2d6 days to find the Vault of Dragons and its keys. counter 7, "Old Tower").
During this time, the characters have a chance to steal the
stone from the villain's lair. If the characters don't steal the Jarlaxle's lieutenants reach the stone first and flee
stone in time, the villain sends forces into the vault to de- across the rooftops in the Dock Ward to escape the
feat Aurinax and recover the gold, which takes another 2d6 characters (encounter 5, "Rooftop Chase"). They go to
days. Once the gold is recovered, the villain moves forward ground in Mistshore (encounter 2, ''Mistshore"). Once
with a master plan as detailed in the introduction. If the the characters wrest the stone away from these drow,
characters are still alive, they could oppose the villain by they can use it to guide them lo the home of a famous
stealing the gold from the villain's lair.

Ol-IAP'TER 4 I DRAGON SE.\SON

painter in the Sea Ward (encounter 10, "Converted Extreme Cold. A character exposed to the cold must
Windmill"), beneath which is a tunnel that leads to the succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw at the
end of each encounter in the chain or gain one level of
Vault of Dragons. exhaustion. Characters who have resistance or immu-
nity to cold automatically succeed on the saving throw,
WEATHER EFFECTS as do those wearing cold weather gear (thick coats,

Until the encounter chain is complete, the following gloves, hats, and the like).
weather effect is in play.
ENCOUNTER 1: ALLEY
Autumn Wind. Wind whistling through the streets
imposes disadvantage on ranged weapon attack rolls Use map 4.1 for this encounter. The buildings that bor-
and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing. der the alley are 30 feet (three stories) high unless you
The wind also extinguishes open fires smaller than a decide otherwise. Since this encounter occurs outdoors,
torch flame. be mindful of any weather effects in play.

WINTER ENCOUNTER CHAI N AREAS OF THE ALLEY
The following locations are keyed to map 4.1.
Now is the winter of Waterdeep's discontent. The
Zhents who serve Manshoon believe their master to be LI. ALLEY RESIDENCE
all-powerful, which has made them reckless. Against a
frigid backdrop, they're willing to thumb their noses at This old, one-story, windowless stone house with a slate
local authorities and risk death in pursuit of the Stone roof is tucked in the middle of the alley, surrounded by
taller buildings. Its doors are made of sturdy wood, and
ofGolorr. the outer door can be barred shut from within. Break-
ing down the ba rred door requires a successful DC 18
SUMMARY Strength (Athletics) check.

The stone is delivered to Thrakkus, a dragonborn The interior is divided into two rooms, a kitchen with
butcher in the Field Ward (encounter 10, "Converted a fireplace and a plainly furnished bedroom.
Windmill"). Thrakkus hides the stone in one of his meat
deliveries. The characters follow the delivery cart to an L2. STORE
alley in the Trades Ward where Zhents meet in secret
(encounter 1, "Alley"). Before the characters can lay This stone building is a store of one kind or another. 1f
hands on the stone, a Zhent named Yevette Blackwater an encounter doesn't specify the goods sold here, roll
grabs it and flees, initiating a chase across icy rooftops a d20 and consult the Store Goods table to determine
(encounter 5, ..Rooftop Chase"). She hands off the stone
to Agorn Fuoco, a bard who is attending a play in a what the store sells.
nearby theater (encounter 6, "Theater"), before leading A small room serves as a cloakroom, where visitors
her pursuers on a merry chase through the snow-cov-
ered streets (encounter 3, "Street Chase"). The charac- can hang their heavier overgarrnents. Past the cloak-
ters learn that the stone has been taken by hire-coach to room is the store proper, with wares on display. The
Mistshore. The characters can catch up to Agorn there room to the north is a storeroom or a workshop. The
(encounter 2, "Mistshore"). store owner (commoner) has keys to all doors.

If he is captured and questioned, Agoro reveals that STORE Gooos d20 Goods
he made one stop on his way to Mistshore. He dropped
off a lady friend, a priest of Bane allied with the Zhen- d20 Goods 11 H ats
tarim, and left the stone with her and her acolytes for 12 Hunting traps
safekeeping. The characters can find them in an old 1 Art 13 Locks and keys
tower in the Castle Ward (encounter 7, "Old Tower"). Be- 2 Books 14 Musical instruments
fore they leave that place, the characters are confronted 15 Pets
by Manshoon's simulacrum, which arrives by way of 3 Candles 16 Pots
teleportation circle to collect the stone. Once the simu- 4 Cartwheels 17 Rations
lacrum is defeated, the characters can use the stone to 5 Costumes 18 Rugs
learn that the entrance to the Vault of Dragons is hidden 19 Umbrellas
below a mausoleum in the City of the Dead (encounter 4, 6 Dolls 20 Wine
"Mausoleum").
7 Fresh meat
WEATHER EFFECTS
8 Furniture
Until the encounter chain is complete, the following 9 Games
weather effects are in play. 10 Glass

Blizzard. Shrieking wind and falling snow impose MODIFYIN G ENCOUNTERS
disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely
on hearing or sight. The wind also extinguishes open You can adjust the difficulty of a combat encounter by add-
fires smaller than a torch Harne. Visibility is reduced to ing or subtracting monsters. Ifyou need to increase the
60 feet. Snow on the ground creates difficult terrain in difficulty of an encounter that has already begun, have en-
areas that are not heavily trod. emy reinforcements arrive during the battle. Ifyou find an
encounter too deadly, reduce the antagonists' hit points,
have NPCs arrive to help the characters, or have the bad

guys cut their losses and flee.

C HAPTE R 4 I DRAGON SEASO N

I
I

..

1 square = 5 feet

I

MAP 4.1. ALLEY

ALLEY: SPRING stays hidden and tries to take control of a character.
Given the chance, Morga tries to shove a character into
When this encounter begins. either the characters have the nearest trap. If these creatures obtain the stone. they
the Stone ofGo!orr in their clutches. in which case bring it to Xanathar in its lair (see chapter 5).
they're jumped as they move through an alley near the
tower- or it was taken from them by Xanathar's gazer NEXT ENCOUNTER
spies, in which case they catch up with the gazers in the
alley before the creatures can descend into the sewers. If a character becomes attuned to the Stone ofGolorr,
it reveals the location of the Vault of Dragons, below
BEAR TRAPS a theater in the Castle Ward called the Pink Flumph.
Choose five squares on the map. These squares con- and the three keys that are needed to enter it. When the
tain deep puddles of muddy water. Hidden within each characters are ready to visit the location, proceed with
puddle is a spring-loaded bear trap. A creature that has encounter 6, "Theater."
a passive Perception score of 13 or higher spots a trap
before accidentally stepping in it. ALLEY: SUMMER

Any creature that steps into a trap's square must The characters begin this encounter on the rooftops
make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed overlooking the alley. If any characters went to ground
save, the creature takes 3 (ld6) slashing damage as during the rooftop chase, start them at one end of the
the trap snaps shut around its ankle. and the creature alley instead.
is restrained until the trap is removed. As an action, a
creature can try to pry open the trap. doing so with a HIRE- COACH
successful DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check.
Parked in the middle of the alley is a hire-coach pulled
AMBUSHERS by two draft horses. The driver. Haru Hamatori (LG
male Kozakuran human commoner), wears a feathered
The characters enter the alley followed by eight kobolds cap and matching outfit.
disguised as children wearing troll masks. A bugbea r
named Morga and an intellect devourer hide in a door- Lord Cassalanter's doppelganger valet. in the guise of
way halfway down the alley and can be spotted with a an elderly tiefling named Willifort Crowelle, sits in the
successful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check. passenger cab, which grants half cover. Standing next to
the hire-coach is a bearded devil disguised as a cloaked
When the characters reach Morga's hiding spot, the human bodyguard wearing a wide-brimmed hat, and
bugbear and the kobolds attack. The intellect devourer perched on the coach are three invisible imps. Any

CH APTER 4 I DRACON SEASON

s pined devils that survived the previous encounter are on "the scars he wears on his face." They know nothing
also present, having just delivered the Stone ofGolorr to more about him, other than that he lives alone.
Willi fort.
If the characters don't frighten them away, the chil-
When he sees the characters, Willi fort orders the dren loiter around the alley, eating apples and picking
imps and the spined devils to attack. The bearded devil through garbage piles.
stays close to Willifort and engages any character who
tries to reach the hire-coach. FENERUS's HOUSE
The door to Fenerus's house stands open, and the place
The hire-coach has AC 14, 45 hit points, and immunity has been ransacked. Painted in blood on the kirchen
to poison and psychic damage. wall is a circle with ten equidistant lines radiating out-
ward from its circumference: the sign of Xanathar. A
If there's any chance that the characters might obtain thorough search accompanied by a successful DC 12
the Stone o!Golorr as the encounter progresses, Willi- Wisdom (Perception) check reveals small pools of blood
fort orders the driver to move the hire-coach out of the on the kitchen floor. A successful check also verifies that
alley as quickly as possible. Tf the driver is incapacitated the blood on the floor and wall is fresh.
or killed. the bearded devil climbs into the driver's seat
on the back of the coach and steers the vehicle. If che FENERUS'S STORY
bearded devil is unable to replace the driver, the doppel- Fenerus Stormcastle was the founder of the Blood
ganger takes the reins. Willifort Rees on foot if the hire- Hawk Posse, a gang of horse-riding brigands that, to
coach is destroyed or its horses are unable to move. this day. harries travelers on the road to Amphail. When
he was drummed out of the gang after a botched raid,
NEXT ENCOUNTER Fenerus ''retired" to Waterdeep and joined the Guild of
If Willifort escapes and the characters pursue him, pro- Chandlers and Lamplighters.
ceed with encounter 3, ''Street Chase."
Until recently, Fenerus supplemented his income by
ALLEY: AUTUMN spying for the city ofLuskan and providing his contacts
with information on the political climate in Waterdeep,
The characters' quest for the Stone ofGolorr first leads as well as ju icy bits of news overheard on his nightly
them to Fenerus Stormcastle, a lamplighter who rents a rounds through the Trades Ward. He has no clue that
small house in the Trades Ward (area Ll). his contacts are drow members of Bregan D'aerthe,
since they wear cloaks and keep co the shadows.
APPLE CART
The characters enter the alley from either end. Deter- Agents of the Lords' Alliance recently labeled Fenerus
mine their marching order. then read the following text as a wanted brigand and notified the Lords ofWater-
once they reach the alley's midpoint: deep, who sent the City Watch to arrest him. Fenerus
had the good sense to hide the Stone ofGolorr else-
Acart laden with apples comes careening toward you where and hopes to use it as leverage to gain his free-
dom as well as forgiveness for past crimes.
from the opposite direction, rolling downhill. Riding on
Shortly after Fenerus's arrest, drow agents of Bregan
the cart is a tieAing boy with an eye patch, screaming at D'aerthe showed up to collecr the stone and were way-
laid by invisible duergar hiding in the alley. The duergar
the top of his lungs. "Look out!" he shouts. were members of the Xanathar Guild that had been sent
by Nar'l Xibrindas (see appendix B) to retrieve the stone.
A character in the path of the apple cart must succeed After searching Fenerus's home and finding nothing,
on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or be struck for 5 they were waiting for Fenerus to return when the drow
(2d4) bludgeoning damage and knocked prone. A char- showed up. The drow barely got away with their lives.
acter can forgo the Dexterity saving throw and try to
stop the cart bodily, doing so with a successful DC 15 jARLAXLE IN DISGUISE
Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the character is
struck by the cart and falls prone as it continues to roll. Before the characters leave the alley,Jarlaxle Baenre
After plowing through the party, the cart Hips on its side. (see appendix B) uses his hat ofdisguise to approach
sending apples tumbling down the alley. The tiefiing boy
is thrown from the cart but not seriously hurt. THE THREE URCHINS

The boy is one of three street urchins who teamed up Three street urchins, described below, appear in several of
to steal the apple cart from a nearby street corner. The this chapter's scenes:
other two children lost control of the cart at the crest
of the alley before they could hop on. They catch up to Nat is a lanky, 10-year-old deafllluskan girl with a wooden
their friend after the crash, make sure he's all right, and toy sword. She is the leader of the group and communi-
then apologize profusely to anyone who was hurt. The cates using a sign language that she invented and taught
urchins, harmless troublemakers, are detailed in the to her friends.
sidebar ''The Three Urchins."
Jenks is a portly 9-year-old Turami boy with a cloak, a toy
If they are asked about Fenerus, the children know wand, and a stuffed owlbear "familiar." He's shy around
who he is. They describe him as a big man with graying strangers but brave when it comes to helping his friends.
hair who looks like he has been in many fights, based
Squiddly is a slim 9·year-old tiefling boy with an eye patch,
a small bow, and a quiver oftoy arrows. He rarely thinks
before he talks or acts.

C HAPTER • I DRAGON SEASON

them in the guise of Laeral Silverhand, the Open Lord BUGBEARS ATTACK
ofWaterdeep:
At the end of a dead-end side alley south of areas Ll and
A tall, graceful woman in an emerald green cloak ap- L2 is an iron grate that covers an opening to the sew-
ers under the North Ward. Five bugbears have quietly
proaches you, her long, silver hair billowing out from climbed up through the grate and concealed themselves
in the side alley. They pour out and attack the charac-
under her hood. "Ifyou've come looking for Fenerus ters. hoping to gain surprise in the blizzard. Characters
who have a passive Perception score of 16 or higher
Stormcastle, I'm afraid you're too late," she says. "It aren't surprised.

appears Xanathar has gotten to him first. Fenerus had The bugbears were sent by Xanathar to retrieve a pris-
oner being held in the Zhent safe house, but they're too
something in his possession that I desire. Perhaps you bloodthirsty to pass up the chance to murder a band of
adventurers standing in their way. The wind and snow
can help retrieve it." render the City Watch oblivious to the danger.

"Laeral" tells the characters that Fenerus had a sen- CUTTLE'S MEAT PIES
tient magic item in his possession called the Stone of
Golorr, which knows the location of a large cache of Characters who speak to the proprietor of the meat
gold that was embezzled from the city by its previous shop. a portly middle-aged woman named Sora Cuttle
Open Lord. She asks the characters to retrieve the (LG female Illuskan human commoner). learn that she
stone. for the good ofWaterdeep, and deliver it to her at received an unexpected delivery fromjustyn Rassk of
the Seven Masks Theater in the Dock Ward. "Laeral" the Guild of Butchers. Given that fresh meat is in short
offers no reward other than the gratitude of Wacerdeep's supply in winter, Sora could hardly turn it down. If the
Open Lord. characters see fit to tell her that the meat came from
chopped-up humanoids, Sora falls ill. She has no knowl-
jarlaxle suspects that Nar'l Xibrindas, his spy in the edge ofThrakkus's nasty handiwork and promises to
Xanathar Guild, has betrayed him and is now using bring the matter to the attention of the Guild of Butchers
the resources of Bregan D'aerthe to help the beholder and the local magiscer. Until then, she won't use any of
retrieve the stone.jarlaxle also knows that the Xanathar Thrakkus's meat to make her famous meat pies.
Guild has a refuge fairly close by, in a cellar complex un-
der the Southern Ward. "Laeral" suggests that the char- Sora is suspicious of her two neighbors in area LL
acters search for the stone there. Qarlaxle doesn't want They come and go at strange hours, sometimes return-
Nar'I to know that he's onto him, which is why he would ing from a night's sojourn with blood on their leather
rather send a small group of adventurers than call upon armor. If the characters do Sora the courtesy of warning
a Bregan D'aerthe attack force.) her about the meat, she happily shares her concerns
about her naughty neighbors, along with descriptions
Characters who are suspicious of Laeral's intentions of them. One is a pale, gaunt woman in her twenties
can ascertain that she's hiding something with a suc- with dark, stringy hair. The other is a much older, dark-
cessful Wisdom (Insight) check contested by jarlaxle's skinned man with a bald head, a half-missing ear, and a
Charisma (Deception) check. If the characters somehow short white beard.
penetratejarlaxle's disguise, he smiles and offers them
10,000 gp if they promptly deliver the stone to him at the ZHENTARIM SAFE HOUSE
Seven Masks Theater. He assures them, in all honesty,
that he plans to give the gold back to Waterdeep in ex- This windowless house is occupied by two Zhents Joyal
change for some political goodwil l. to Manshoon-the same individuals that Sora describes.
Their names are Avareen Windrivver (LE female Illus-
NEXT ENCOUNTER kan human spy) and Zorbogjyarkoth (NE male Turami

If the characters invade the Xanathar Guild refuge, pro- human thug).
ceed with encounter 9, "Cellar Complex."
When the characters first enter the alley, Avareen is
ALLEY: WINTER in the front doorway of the house, handing the Stone of
Golorr to a high-ranking Zhent named Yevette Blackwa-
The characters' search for the Stone o!Golorr leads ter (CE female Tethyrian human swashbuckler; see ap-
them to a snow-covered alley in the Trades Ward that pendix B). Zorbog is stoking a fire in the fireplace while
contains a windowless Zhentarim safe house (area Ll) quietly observing the transaction. With stone in hand,
and a meat shop called Cuttle's Meat Pies (area L2). Yevette scrambles up to the rooftops, leaving Avareen
and Zorbog to deal with the survivors of the conflict be-
The characters approach from either end of the alley. tween the characters and the bugbears.
Hoofprints and wheel ruts in the snow testify thatjustyn
Rassk's delivery cart passed through the alley recently Gagged and tied to a chair in the back room of the
after a brief stop outside the meat shop. A character who house is a known member of the Xanathar Guild-a
inspects the tracks and succeeds on a DC 10 Wisdom shield dwarf who wears a leather skullcap stitched
(Survival) check can tell that the deliverer visited both with fake beholder eyestalks. The dwarf. Ott Steeltoes
the shop and the alley residence. Before the characters (see appendix B), was captured while buying fish food
can investigate further, they are assaulted by members in a Dock Ward market. After the Zhents interrogated
of the Xanathar Guild. Ott, it became clear to them that Xanathar would want
him back. He is being held until a ransom is paid, but

CH APTER 4 I 0 1!.AOON SEASON

1 square = 5 feet

MAP 4.2: MtSTSHORE

Xanathar has learned where he is being kept. Any bug- to ash by the fire last year. Although some were rebuilt,
bears that survived the initial attack try to rescue Ott, others were ruined beyond repair and are now used as
while Avareen and Zorbog do their best to fight them off. roofless dens by homeless children and rats.
If Ott is set free, he runs back to the waiting eyestalks of
his insane beholder master. Characters who follow him The following locations are keyed to map 4.2.
are led straight to Xanathar's lair (see chapter 5).
Dl. KRAKEN'S FOLLY
NEXT ENCOUNTER
Any characters within 10 feet of the Zhents' front door The Kraken's Folly is a beached pirate s hip that some
can make a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check. Those residents of Mistshore use as a tenement. At any given
who succeed on the check hear a mocking laugh above time, 4d6 bandits loiter on deck, hoping that someone
the howling wind and glimpse a cloaked figure on a who needs muscle will offer them work. These ruffians
nearby roof, darting away through the blizzard. If the live in the rat-infested cabins belowdecks. They are will-
characters chase after this figure, proceed with encoun- ing to come to the aid of anyone who asks- for a price.
ter 5, "Rooftop Chase." Each demands 1 gp to get involved in a fight or create a
distraction on behalf of their employer.
ENCOUNTER 2: MISTSHORE
D2. GRINDA'S RESIDENCE
Mistshore is a run-down Dock Ward neighborhood
that reeks of fish and scorched timber. A fire swept A mad treasure hunter named Grinda Garloth (CN
through the area a little over a year ago, and most of female Illuskan human mage who speaks Common,
the buildings are now burned-out shells with (at best) Dwarvish, Halftin g, and Undercommon) lives here. Her
sails for roofs. Fishing poles and nets line the dock, and ramshackle home contains an unmade bed, an alche-
the 15-foot-deep water is covered by a thick layer of ice mist's laboratory, a small stove, a coat rack, a table, a
during the winter. stool, a stuffed chair in poor condition, a wash basin,
and a locked wooden sea chest with a glyph ofwarding
AREAS OF MISTSHORE spell cast on it. Grinda carries the key, and the glyph
triggers an explosive ru nes effect (see the spell descrip-
Mistshore is a riotous assemblage of ramshackle homes tion in the Player's Handbook) if anyone other than
made of wood from old sh ips and inhabited by impov- Grinda lifts the lid of the chest.
erished Waterdavians. Several buildings were reduced
Chest. Grinda's chest contains a heavy iron key that
locks and unlocks the Garloth family mausoleum in the
City of the Dead (see "Mistshore: Spring" below).

CHAPTER 4- I DRAGON SEASON