Session 44: A Study in Bloooood Report

General Summary

After the two remaining drow escape the fracas, Lady Yalah Gralhund begins demanding to know where "the stone" is. Hrabbaz orders the surviving guards to begin searching the area. She asks what the party is doing there. You tell her you are neighbors and heard screaming, of course you'd come to help. Her children are scared but pop their heads out. The boy looks at the nimblewright and says "they broke the man". You ask her if the nimblewright belongs to her. She says she's never seen it before. (Insight check: she's not telling the whole truth) She tells you her son saw nimblewrights at Sea Maiden's Faire and has been very interested in them.   You all find Lord Orond Gralhund in the other room. He's been trying to throw things at the levitating Urstul Floxin who's very angry at his predicament. You drag him in by lassoing him with a boomerang and tie him up as the Gralhunds reunite. Lady Gralhund says the City Watch will arrive soon. Hrabbaz disappears into the house. As they are distracted you search Urstul Floxin and find a note that says "Any prisoners taken from the other players of the Grand Game should be delivered to Avaareen in Bindul Alley. - By Order of the Zhentarim". You recall that Volo told you the "Grand Game" historically in Waterdeep was a big, "clandestine" event in the city where several factions became fixated on an objective or quest. It can be political, arcane, or monetary. Right now all signs point to Neverember's Enigma and the location of the 500,000 gold (think It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Worldin medieval times).   The City Watch arrive and the party decides to escape over the balcony with Urstul Floxin. You take the nimblewright head and hat as evidence as well as a Zhentarim body. You manage to all descend the balcony (Andryn Stormpeak has some issues) and find the gate guarded by two members of the Watch who refuse to let you leave. You're escorted back into the house and made to wait to be questioned. You keep telling the Watch officers you have to get home to your children, but they are unmoved since you were out in the middle of the night to hear the commotion in Gralhund Villa in the first place...and you tried to escape with an eye-witness. They take Urstul Floxin into custody and you hear the Gralhunds tell the Watch captain that this must somehow be spillover conflict from the escalating war between the Zhentarim and the Xanathar's Guild. Barnibus Blastwind and Saeth Cromley, who you'd met during the investigation into [Fire, arrive. They seem unsurprised to see you all. They recognize Urstul Floxin as being at the scene of the fireball as well and tell him they have been looking for him. The Gralhunds corroborate your story and since you were helpful in the last investigation they let you go, but tell you there will be further questioning tomorrow.   You head home and investigate the stone everyone was fighting over at the Gralhund's. You see a long oblong stone that has three slots in it. Andryn casts Detect Magic and Runt casts Identify. They get faint traces of magic, but it seems somehow inert currently. You begin to realize the tavern and children might not be safe. You discuss sending the kids away or asking someone to watch them. Someone suggests putting them on a boat and pushing them out to sea (probably Cameron Overholt). Ultimately, for tonight, you have a sleepover and Runt Thundermount puts an Alarm spell on the kids room and Cameron's room (who is not participating in the sleepover). Runt decides to keep the stone in his pant's pocket for the time being.   In the morning, you decide to keep the tavern open. You ask the kids if they want to come with you to speak to the City Watch, but they aren't fans of cops. As they scatter into the city (except Martem Trec who was too slow to realize what was happening), Runt tries to teach them a family whistle (that, I'm just realizing, Nat would not be able to hear...). You head to the Castle Ward and try to see Barnibus Blastwind and Saeth Cromley. They are not currently in the office. You also learn that Cromley is retired, but comes out of retirement to help Blastwind with certain cases.   The party decides to investigate this interrogation house in Brindul Alley. Brindul Alley is a narrow alley in the Trades Ward. There are a lot of windowless small warehouses. Runt looks at the dead body in the Bag of Holding and casts Disguise Self to look like him. He makes contact with the two Zhentarim agents in the house and deceives them by saying "Ed" sent him. Luckily, there happened to be an Ed they know. They let him in. In the back room he finds a small dwarvish man wearing a leather cap with several eyestalks coming out of it. Avaareen says his name is Ott Steeltoes and he takes care of the Xanathar's fish. Runt asks if they got the fish and she's horrified at the thought. She tells him there'd be blood in the streets if the fish went missing. They've been torturing him but he knows nothing. They'll kill him soon and be done with it. Runt asks for a go and she leaves him to it.   Runt begins "torturing" Ott and questioning him. He notices a circle painted on the ground nearby filled with runic symbols. Runt says maybe he can get Ott out and Ott immediately begins thanking him and saying he knew the Xanathar would send someone. Runt says he'll unlock him and he can make a run for it. There's some confusion if Runt's really there to rescue him. Runt unlocks his chains, returns to the other room and tells the Zhentarim agents that he accidentally killed Ott. He leaves and returns to the party and tells them what he's seen. The party discusses and ultimately decides they could learn more from Ott and decides to really rescue him. As they arrive back in the alley they hear Avaareen say "wait, this guys not dead!"

Rewards Granted

• Nimblewright head and hat
• Zhentarim body slowly rotting