RoT 13: "Assassins and Councils"
After weeks of traveling hither and yon, including all the way int0 the extreme cold the Sea of Moving Ice, you return to Waterdeep hoping for somme much needed rest. A second Council of Waterdeep is being convened so you can report what you have found during your most recent travels. Alas, you have been home not even a full day before the Cult of the Dragon sets a trap for you at a local tavern and you are setup upon by an assassin squad!
It’s been a lovely meal. Your host, Mado Cottock and his establishment The Broken Blade makes very good cuisine. Maybe not as fancy as what you get at Piergeiron's Palace, but for sure better than the field rations and random hunted meat you typically survive on when away from the city. It’s a shame a group of Cult of the Dragon Assassins interrupted the dessert course.
Your months of trailing and researching, plus the intelligence you have from others allows you to recognize their cult rankings as a Dragonclaw, a Dragonwing, and a Dragonfang (which you’ve to this point had not seen before). They’ve brought with them a Half-Blue Dragon and Young Blue Dragon and they all stare daggers at you as the battle begins.
Malice makes very short work of the Dragonclaw, taking him out with a single Eldritch Blast, turning a second on the Dragonwing whom Rikon also engages but in his excitement and sudden adrenaline rush flings his longsword 30 feet backwards; it flips end over end sticking in the hardwood floor near the bar.
Pubert rushes the Blue Half-Dragon and engages him in melee, enraged by the gladiator’s mocking tone “This is the supposedly great Pubert?” He sends his newly acquired hunting wolf to help Rikon, the hound knocking the Dragonwing to the ground.
Meanwhile, the Half-Dragon, for all his boasting shows great prowess with his spear and shield but Pubert manages to parry or dodge each of his blows.
Brehanna uses Chill Touch on the Dragonwing, bringing him closer to death and sings a song of inspiration to Malice, who’s well known to especially hate Blue Dragons in particular due to one of them being responsible for the sacking of Greenest.
The Dragonfang joins the Half-Dragon to double-team Pubert, dealing a blow but Pubert’s rage plus magical protections gained from Malice cause him to hardly notice.
Malice throws a Guiding Bolt out the window toward the Young Blue Dragon who is trying to gain an angle to use its breath weapon, but misses ever so slightly, driven by a rage all his own.
Rikon moves to recover his sword, firing crossbow bolts in the process.
As the battle continues, the Dragonwing attempts to confront Malice but pays the ultimate price as Malice has a blood lust to get the dragon outside. Brehana attempts to corral the beat with a Wall of Fire from her Staff as Pubert, his wolf, and Rikon fully engage the Half-Dragon and Dragonfang.
The dragon, taking the damage from the fire, flies over it landing in front of the inn’s front door but you are unsure if he’s moving to attack or to give his allies cover to try to escape as the fight is not going in their favor.
Finally both the gladiator and Dragonfang fall, the Half-Dragon being knocked unconscious after using his breath weapon as a last ditch effort.
The dragon, wounded by Malice’s and Brehana’s spells from inside the inn takes flight, clearly meaning to escape. Malice and Rikon both run outside attempting to bring it down with spells and crossbow bolts but it escapes to darkening skies, well out of range and disappears.
Securing the Half-Dragon in a cocoon of rope, you question a very frightened Mado whom you discover was not aware of the invitation sent to you – it appears the Cult used his humble inn as a way to lure out into the open. He brings fresh bottles of wine and his famous figgy pudding as you finally get to enjoy your dessert course.
Returning to the Palace with your prisoner, you come upon a crowd gathering with murmuring of shock and speculation. There in the middle of the street is a corpse, freshly murdered. The blood splatter around him in the shape of a dragon.
You hear people in the crowd saying that he is a Masked Lord of Waterdeep and how could such a thing happen inside the city, and so close the palaces. A woman shoves her way through the crowd – you recognize her as the The Harpers' representative on the Council of Waterdeep, Remalia Haventree. She’s accompanied by Leosin Erlanthar who does not immediately notice you standing there. She falls to her knees weeping over the body.
Malice levitates to see over the crowd, at first drawing suspicion from the Sergeant of the Town Guard. Leosin intervenes, explaining to him who you all are. Alas, Malice is unable to spot anyone attempting to hastily retreat. Either the killer is already long gone is doing a tremendous job of blending into the crowd.
Leosin explains (in hushed tones) that the dead man is Arthagast Ulbrinter, a Masked Lord of Waterdeep, and Remalia’s husband. The masked lords are not supposed to be known – hence the masks – for their protection. So the fact that the Cult has discovered the identity of one, and murdered him in such a public fashion is a very big problem.
You make it back to the Piergeiron’s Palace with some assistance from the City Guard and Leosin to get the prisoner secured. Malice requests to be present when the Half-Dragon is interrogated in the morning. You are also told that the next session of the Council of Waterdeep is expected to take place tomorrow afternoon. For now, you return to your chambers to get some rest and ponder how bold the Cult of the Dragon has become.
It’s been a lovely meal. Your host, Mado Cottock and his establishment The Broken Blade makes very good cuisine. Maybe not as fancy as what you get at Piergeiron's Palace, but for sure better than the field rations and random hunted meat you typically survive on when away from the city. It’s a shame a group of Cult of the Dragon Assassins interrupted the dessert course.
Your months of trailing and researching, plus the intelligence you have from others allows you to recognize their cult rankings as a Dragonclaw, a Dragonwing, and a Dragonfang (which you’ve to this point had not seen before). They’ve brought with them a Half-Blue Dragon and Young Blue Dragon and they all stare daggers at you as the battle begins.
Malice makes very short work of the Dragonclaw, taking him out with a single Eldritch Blast, turning a second on the Dragonwing whom Rikon also engages but in his excitement and sudden adrenaline rush flings his longsword 30 feet backwards; it flips end over end sticking in the hardwood floor near the bar.
Pubert rushes the Blue Half-Dragon and engages him in melee, enraged by the gladiator’s mocking tone “This is the supposedly great Pubert?” He sends his newly acquired hunting wolf to help Rikon, the hound knocking the Dragonwing to the ground.
Meanwhile, the Half-Dragon, for all his boasting shows great prowess with his spear and shield but Pubert manages to parry or dodge each of his blows.
Brehanna uses Chill Touch on the Dragonwing, bringing him closer to death and sings a song of inspiration to Malice, who’s well known to especially hate Blue Dragons in particular due to one of them being responsible for the sacking of Greenest.
The Dragonfang joins the Half-Dragon to double-team Pubert, dealing a blow but Pubert’s rage plus magical protections gained from Malice cause him to hardly notice.
Malice throws a Guiding Bolt out the window toward the Young Blue Dragon who is trying to gain an angle to use its breath weapon, but misses ever so slightly, driven by a rage all his own.
Rikon moves to recover his sword, firing crossbow bolts in the process.
As the battle continues, the Dragonwing attempts to confront Malice but pays the ultimate price as Malice has a blood lust to get the dragon outside. Brehana attempts to corral the beat with a Wall of Fire from her Staff as Pubert, his wolf, and Rikon fully engage the Half-Dragon and Dragonfang.
The dragon, taking the damage from the fire, flies over it landing in front of the inn’s front door but you are unsure if he’s moving to attack or to give his allies cover to try to escape as the fight is not going in their favor.
Finally both the gladiator and Dragonfang fall, the Half-Dragon being knocked unconscious after using his breath weapon as a last ditch effort.
The dragon, wounded by Malice’s and Brehana’s spells from inside the inn takes flight, clearly meaning to escape. Malice and Rikon both run outside attempting to bring it down with spells and crossbow bolts but it escapes to darkening skies, well out of range and disappears.
Securing the Half-Dragon in a cocoon of rope, you question a very frightened Mado whom you discover was not aware of the invitation sent to you – it appears the Cult used his humble inn as a way to lure out into the open. He brings fresh bottles of wine and his famous figgy pudding as you finally get to enjoy your dessert course.
Returning to the Palace with your prisoner, you come upon a crowd gathering with murmuring of shock and speculation. There in the middle of the street is a corpse, freshly murdered. The blood splatter around him in the shape of a dragon.
You hear people in the crowd saying that he is a Masked Lord of Waterdeep and how could such a thing happen inside the city, and so close the palaces. A woman shoves her way through the crowd – you recognize her as the The Harpers' representative on the Council of Waterdeep, Remalia Haventree. She’s accompanied by Leosin Erlanthar who does not immediately notice you standing there. She falls to her knees weeping over the body.
Malice levitates to see over the crowd, at first drawing suspicion from the Sergeant of the Town Guard. Leosin intervenes, explaining to him who you all are. Alas, Malice is unable to spot anyone attempting to hastily retreat. Either the killer is already long gone is doing a tremendous job of blending into the crowd.
Leosin explains (in hushed tones) that the dead man is Arthagast Ulbrinter, a Masked Lord of Waterdeep, and Remalia’s husband. The masked lords are not supposed to be known – hence the masks – for their protection. So the fact that the Cult has discovered the identity of one, and murdered him in such a public fashion is a very big problem.
You make it back to the Piergeiron’s Palace with some assistance from the City Guard and Leosin to get the prisoner secured. Malice requests to be present when the Half-Dragon is interrogated in the morning. You are also told that the next session of the Council of Waterdeep is expected to take place tomorrow afternoon. For now, you return to your chambers to get some rest and ponder how bold the Cult of the Dragon has become.