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Keys from the Golden Vault Session 25
Starring
Varrow, level 6 gnome Thief Rogue/Ranger
Stayzie Diamondz, level 6 orc Champion Fighter
Elowen Fernwhisper, level 6 wood elf Circle of the Moon Druid
Chéri Powder, level 6 human Illusionist Wizard
Taveen, level 6 aasimar Warrior of Mercy Monk
While still fumbling with in their conversation with the waitress, Bonnie, Varrow steals a key from her pockets. Chéri keeps her busy (mostly while ordering drinks), while Varrow and Taveen check out her room upstairs.
The room is sparse and barren. They find a letter in a desk, unaddressed, that speaks of her worries of a friend named Jaymont, who has recently gotten involved with shady people at his workplace at a stables.
They also find a trunk full of clothes in different sizes, for both men and women. Shapeshifter confirmed?
Armed with this information (and Stayzie’s admonishing for snooping), they return to the bard, Threestrings to report their findings.
The Harper agrees that she probably is a shapeshifter, but perhaps not terribly dangerous. He thanks them for their work, and reveals the crew that might have been behind the painting theft.
He regales how a group of adventurers came into The Yawning Portal, but only half of them went down into Undermountain. They came back up with an air elemental hot on their trail, but Threestrings noticed it was more of a distraction, so the other two, an orc and a halfling, could steal the magic painting.
The bard identifies the other three as a human man, human woman, and elven woman. Those descriptions perfectly match the Zhentarim rivals the party has run into previously!
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Elowen provides their biggest lead with the business card dropped by the shady rogue who fled the Yawning Portal earlier. The card is for the Agile Hands Stables, a modest stables they have to look up in a Waterdeep directory.
They travel over to the picturesque stables in a rural part of the city, noting its two buildings connected by a porch. The left building is closed and locked, and features an adjoining stone tower, while the right building is open, with a front office, upstairs rental rooms, and large stables area for horses.
Chéri uses his hat of disguise to look like a noble dressed for horse-riding, and casts major image to summon his own horse as they approach.
A lookout on the balcony of the left building spots them, and Chéri waves and engages in conversation, using his most pompous and imperial tones. The man is not amused, directing them to the front office before he ducks inside.
Apparently the left building is staff-only.
The stables is home to an eager dwarf named Needly who cares for horses, Jaymont the carpenter and woodworker, and Marvus, who works the front office.
Chéri is looking for a fine stables for his horse, and asks about the security here. Marvus assures him they have plenty of staff on hand, though Chéri hopes for a private tour. Marvus calls the man Chéri spoke to earlier (Perry) to show him around, but the wizard closes the door of the office and casts suggestion on Marvus, hoping to swap places with him.
Before he casts the spell, he makes his illusory horse break out and take off running, though none of the other PCs bother reacting.
Marvus makes the save, and grabs a crossbow from under the counter, pointing it at Chéri and asking him to back off and leave.
At the same time, Stayzie grabs Perry outside and says they just need to ask some questions.
What the party doesn’t realize is they’ve been watched the whole time since they arrived. Enna the sniper burst out of the balcony with her bow drawn, as Chéri casts “stink bomb” (stinking cloud) in the office. And poor Varrow is simply engaging in a friendly conversation with Needly and Jaymont in the workshop, trying to gather some information without resorting to violence.
But violence has arrived!
Live post-session discussion:
Next session: The Agile Hands Stables!
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