The Grand Game
Lord Dagult Neverember, the former Open Lord of Waterdeep is said to have embezzled 500,000 gold and stashed it somewhere in the city.
Who will win this grand game and solve Neverember’s Enigma?
What the Party Knows
- The Xanathar's Guild and Zhentarim separately attempted to kidnap Renaer Neverember believing he knew something about the money his father embezzled from Waterdeep. The Xanathar's Guild mistakenly kidnapped his friend Floon Blagmaar.
- The Zhentarim asked Renaer about the Stone of Golorr, which he didn't know anything about. They stole something from inside his locket, a gift from his father.
- Dalakhar, a rock gnome and an agent of Dagult Neverember was attempting to meet with Renaer at Trollskull Manor and Tavern. He told Renaer he was carrying something for his father and hoped Renaer could help him.
- As he was about to meet Renaer, a nimblewright used a bead from a necklace of fireballs outside the tavern, killing a dozen people. The party learned it was dressed in a red robe and large foppish red hat with a feather in it and had a pointed Van Dyke beard.
- Zardoz Zord is selling nimblewrights for a low price of 25,000 gp (customizations extra). The party asks him who he's sold these constructs to. He asks why they want to know but they do not confide in him. He tells them he can't reveal private purchases, but tells them he's sold nimblewrights to House of Inspired Hands, Watchful Order of Magists' and Protectors, Nevercott Haberdashery, House of Wonder, and City Armory. The party already knew about most of these purchases, with the exception of the City Armory.
- Meanwhile, Ammalia Cassalanter and Victoro Cassalanter ask the party to help them find Neverember's embezzled money in order to save their children. (A Plea for Help) They find the body of a former servant of the Cassalanters in Blue Alley who seemingly has ties to the Asmodeus cult that's cursed their children. They find a note on her body that says "A blind stone must see. Manshoon overplayed his hand with X. Z's are down an eye."
- With they help of Renaer Neverember the party got access to the body of the rock gnome, Dalakhar. Andryn Stormpeak cast Speak with Dead on the body and they found out the following:
- Dalakhar had stolen the Stone of Golorr from the Xanathar's Guild for Dagult Neverember
- He was unable to escape the city and was coming to Renaer in the hopes he'd help get the stone to his father
- The stone is the key to getting the 500,000, but Dalahkar doesn't know where the money is kept
- Zhentarim were chasing him in the street, trying to steal the stone.
- During Session 43: Violence in the Villa Report, the party stumbled on a Zhentarim raid on Gralhund Villa. The Zhents were seemingly looking for the Stone of Golorr. During the raid, a group of drow also descended on the villa looking for the stone.
- The party discovered near the end of the battle that Orond Gralhund and Yalah Gralhund a destroyed nimblewright matching the description of the one that caused the fireball.
- During the Attack on Gralhund Villa, the party discovered a stone everyone seemed to be fighting over. Runt managed to pocket it. They believe it's the Stone of Golorr. They detect traces of magic, but the stone seems inert somehow, possibly related to the three slots that look to hold small circular objects.
- Lord Cassalanter tells the party the Stone erases a piece of knowledge from the world that's able to be learned when the Stone is whole. He believes it's the location of the embezzled money. He also tells you he thinks the Xanathar has one piece of the Stone.
- The party learns that Laeral Silverhand, the Open Lord of Waterdeep knows people are looking for the money. Jalester Silvermane, who is working for her tells them the money belongs to the city.
- Investigating an address they find on a Zhentarim in Graulhund villa the party finds Ott Steeltoes being tortured by two Zhentarim. He tells them he takes care of the Xanathar's fish. The party finds an amulet on one of the Zhentarim and a note to kidnap a man named Fenreus Stormcastle.
- The party attempted to steal an eye from the Xanathar. They were thwarted by Jarlaxle Baenre and two other drow who made off with the Xanathar's pet fish that had swallowed the eye.
- In the Xanathar's Lair, the party discovers A Briefing for the Xanathar concerning the Grand Game that says the Zhentarim were likely hiding out in Kolat Towers. They find a sketch of a map to the towers which indicates there was something keeping people out. They discover that Duhlark Kolat many years ago put an invisible force field around the towers. You can only get through if you have a pass-amulet. The party realizes they took a pass-amulet off a Zhentarim when they found Ott Steeltoes being tortured.
- Vincent Trench is hired to keep an eye on Fenerus Stormcastle. He informs the party that he thinks Stormcastle is an information drop for drow and has connections to a theater in Waterdeep as well as Sea Maiden's Faire.
- The party hears that the Cassalanter Villa has been attacked. When they go to inquire about it, the Cassalanters tell them that the Zhentarim invaded trying to find information on one of the eyes. They had the intruders followed and give the party an address to a tower in the Castle Ward. There, they find Zhentarim agents have kidnapped Kelia Wintersbane and her boss at the order of Manshoon who wants to control the broadsheets of Waterdeep. The party questions one of the agents, Agorn Fuoco, and discover that Manshoon has an eye and keeps it in an extradimensional sanctum accessible within Kolat Towers. You need a ring to use the internal teleportation ring to the sanctum and a pass amulet to get into Kolat Towers itself.
- Agorn also tells the party that he knows who has the third eye: Lord and Lady Cassalanter.
- The party question the Cassalanters, who admit to keeping the eye secret since it seemed like they may have an information leak.
- The party plan an attack on Kolat Towers with the Doom Raiders. They will infiltrate with Davil Starsong and Ziraj while two other Doom Raiders are stationed nearby with a squad of mercenaries. The party suspects Doom Raider Skeemo Weirdbottle is a double agent. Davil has Yagra keep an eye on him.
- The party face Manshoon in Kolat Towers. He offers them a deal: he'll give them the eye if he can be there when it's opened. They can keep the money but he wants an artifact inside. They decline. During the battle, it is revealed Manshoon has a simulacrum of himself. Davil is imprisoned inside a ruby necklace around (the real) Manshoon's neck. The party triumphs, looting Manshoon's sanctum and obtaining not only the Eye of the Stone of Golorr, but Manshoon's spellbook as well. When they arrive home, the learn the deal is still on: however it's their wards' lives at stake now. Manshoon has kidnapped them.
- The party goes to the theater that Vincent Trench has been staking out. They learn that a number of drow go in and our, reporting to the theater owner. The party sneaks in and pokes around. They eventually run into the theater owner who, upon learning that your wards have been kidnapped, reveals himself to be Jarlaxle Baenre...and Zardoz Zord...and a former patron of Trollskull Tavern who was asking questions about The Grand Game.
- Jarlaxle has one of the Eyes and agrees to work with the party to open the Vault of Dragons. He claims to not want the money inside, he only wants to do a great deed for Waterdeep so his city of Luskan will gain favor and be able to join the Lords' Alliance. He gives them some information on cultists of Asmodeus in the city.
- The party investigates Jarlaxle's lead and finds residential home where cultists within have a poison called Midnight Tears. Cameron follows one of the fleeing cultists all the way to Cassalanter Villa
- Inside Cassalanter Villa Cameron is discovered and his mind is messed with by Victoro Cassalanter. He sends Cameron back to the party with misinformation and a City Guard in tow. Cameron and the guard say they need to investigate a windmill where they've heard more cultists are holed up. There, the party is ambushed by devils posing as city guards as well as a doppleganger. The doppleganger is revealed to be the Cassalanter's own butler.
- The party investigates Cassalanter Villa as gusts of wind (thanks to the Emerald Enclave). Inside they find the staff preparing for the children's birthday party. They also discover that there is a temple to Asmodeus beneath the Cassalanter's home where they are preparing for a ritual to save their children's souls. They will poison 99 people, killing them, and offer the 1 million gold to Asmodeus. The party confirms it was the Cassalanters themselves who they offered up their children's souls to Asmodeus in exchange for money and power. They find the eldest child in the attic. The boy has already been turned into a bone devil as a result of this bargain. The party fight devils and the Cassalanters themselves as they escape the Villa with the Casslanters Eye of the Stone of the Golorr.
- The party meet the Blackstaff, Vajra Safahr. They tell her what they've found out about the Cassalanters. She says she will make sure they are arrested and the ritual doesn't happen. The party is invited to join Force Grey.
- They meet up with Jarlaxle and now that they have all pieces Andryn attunes to the completed stone. The stone recognizes Andryn's passed with aboleth and force her to relive the aboleth attack on her village. After giving the Stone memories in exchange for information, the stone gives her a vague vision of where the vault containing the missing money is hidden. She realizes it's in a crypt of the Brandath family, of which Renaer Neverember's deceased mother is a member of. It also tells her she needs three keys to open the vault. When Andryn asks about the 6th level of Undermountain it gives her a song alluding to a third dragon god.
- The party quickly obtains the first key to the vault: a mithral hammer. They know they also need a dragon scale that Jarlaxle can provide and strike that with the mithral hammer under light of day. They head to Brandath crypts in the City of the Dead and realize only someone with Brandath blood can enter when they are attacked by the nearby trees. They ask Renaer to get them into the crypt bringing Meloon Wardragon with him.
- Under the crypt they find a tunnel and evidence other people encountered magical traps here. They also find many references to Dumathoin, a dwarven god of mining and underground exploration. As the party figures out how to use the keys to open the vault outside lackeys of the Xanathar, Cassalanters, and Manshoon gather.
- Finally getting the gate to the vault open the party finds dwarven Underhalls. They realizes thousands of years ago a dwarven clan, Clan Melairkyn, once lived underneath Waterdeep long before the city was founded. They tunneled deep underground, coming into contact with the Underdark, which became their doom. Andryn finds some similarities in the language this clan used and hers. Inside these rooms, they find maps to the missing 6th level of Undermountain.
- They make their way down to the Vault of Dragons itself and find a confused older dwarven man. He says he was sent to guard the money by the Open Lord. He also says he needs to get home because he's having nightmares that something he's protecting is in danger. Before they can get too much information this dwarf is attacked by an invisible Manshoon. The dwarf is revealed to be one of the though extinct Gem Dragons, a blue sapphire dragon. The party faces an epic battle against Manshoon. Manshoon kills the sapphire dragon but the party is able to triumph.
- As the sapphire dragon is dying he tells them that the shard is unprotected. They need to find it in the Heart of the Mountain. He also repeats a phrase they saw once, many months ago in Khundrukar where they found a young black dragon.
- The party is taken before Laeral Silverhand, the Open Lord of Waterdeep. They are gifted with 50,000 gp and named "Wardens of Waterdeep". Jarlaxle reveals he snatched the dragonstaff of Ahghairon, which the sapphire dragon had held and presents it to the Open Lord and says Luskan will always aid Waterdeep.
- The Blackstaff introduces the party to Thredd Dorselar who has been investigating their wards disappearance. Together they find the kids in an abandoned house in the field ward held captive by the Zhentarim including Urstul Floxin who they had encountered many times before. Aided by their employee Ryba (and surprised to discover she's a wererat) they rescue the kids and head home.
- So ends The Grand Game...for now.
Current Factions Searching for the Gold
- Xanathar's Guild
- Zhentarim
- Lady Ammalia Cassalanter and Lord Victoro Cassalanter
- Lord Orond Gralhund and Lady Yalah Gralhund
- Jarlaxle Baenre
Completion Date
5/23/2022
5/23/2022
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