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Keys from the Golden Vault Session 30
Starring
Chéri Powder, level 6 human Illusionist Wizard
Elowen Fernwhisper, level 6 wood elf Circle of the Moon Druid
Stayzie Diamondz, level 6 orc Champion Fighter
Taveen, level 6 aasimar Warrior of Mercy Monk
Varrow, level 6 gnome Thief Rogue/Ranger
Having looted (and survived) much of the first floor of the Vault, the party has nowhere to go but up.
The only thing between them and the staircase is a 10-ft wide, spike-filled pit (T10).
Varrow inspects the suspicious-looking bridge, but sees nothing out of the ordinary. Still not wanting to take any chances, he parkours over the gap, while Stayzie offers to yeet her fellow party members across.
She makes it look effortless after three 20+ Athletics checks in a row!
They head upstairs and discover a secret door in the wall, and head inside the Inner Vault (T15).
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The vault holds over half a dozen expensive artifacts in glass cases. I had fun referencing previous campaigns with these items, including the Black Opal Crown, Amber Headdress, and Devastation Orb.
Varrow activated his wand of magic detection, and saw that the cases were all magically protected. The party deliberated on doing the ol’ smash and grab, but ultimately decided to wait, as they still haven’t found the magic painting they’re after!
Varrow walks to a western door, doesn’t hear anything, then opens the door, only to get shocked by a mechanical trip wire, knocking off over half his health!
Across a hallway they find another vault room, this one containing cabinets. This time Varrow spots a more mechanical trap inside, including a glass vial. He’s able to disarm it and open the safe, revealing 1000gp.
But, still no painting.
They have nowhere else to go except the room labeled Main Office on their map.
But the door lights up with a powerful defensive rune. Ellowyn uses her arcane skills to disarm it, and the party heads inside.
Inside the office (T13) they find Arlo, still tied up, lying on a desk. Seated at the luxurious desk is the Zhentarim boss in Waterdeep — Bryseis Esterborn! Former hero of our Storm King’s Thunder campaign.
This was a really fun reference that I had been planning for awhile, knowing that Bryseis became associated with the Zhentarim. Plus, Heather could have a lot of fun becoming a temporary DM throughout this scene.
The other twist is that this would be a social confrontation, not a boss fight. Bryseis has been fully aware of the party’s infiltration, and was keen to see how they were going to perform, after Arlo’s recent disappointment in stopping them.
Bryseis has the painting and is willing to return it, having learned everything she needed, especially about who the Golden Vault is, and their mysterious patron, Mr. Trench.
But, she’s not exactly going to tell the party that.
She’s also willing to let them keep the weapons, potions, and scrolls (she mentions the gems are fake, lol?). She considers these items a down payment for their future services, whenever she calls upon them.
The party begrudgingly agrees to her terms, and she weaves a spell to teleport them back outside.
With the painting in hand (or rather, carefully stowed in their bag of holding), the party returns to Trench to tell them of their success — and their run-in with the Zhentarim elite.
Trench isn’t surprised, though agrees that the painting has become more of a liability than anything else.
He suggests the party works with the Zhentarim in the future, to avoid any other entanglements.
He also suggests that their next jobs take them far away from the city!
Live post-session discussion:
Next session: A new adventure!
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