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XANATHARIAN OUTPOSTS

TERASSE ESTATE (Castle Ward, Elsambul’s Lane): The Terasse Estate is a modest rowhouse residence in the Castle Ward which is secretly owned by Xanathar. It is occupied by a Xanatharian operative named Keln Trigos, a tiefling priest (MM p. 348). Keln sometimes provides healing services to injured Xanatharians, but the house is more notable because it’s a designated gladiatorial gathering point: Those who wish to attend the gladiatorial combats in Xanathar’s Lair must go to one of these gathering points (there are several throughout the city, some heading through the sewers to X1, others following the route described below) in order to be escorted, as a group, to the games (and back).

Area 1 – Front Door: Those coming to the Terasse Estate must give a specific knock and an accompanying pass-phrase to be given entrance. There are two different combinations, one for healing services (“I heard the red hand was hot”) and another for the gladiatorial gatherings (“the bawdy star shines bright tonight”).

Area 2 – Dining Room: Those here for gladiatorial gatherings are brought together in this room for light socializing and the enjoyment of various delicacies placed upon the table. (Roasted bulette with rare Shou Louan spices. Rothé carpaccio with vargouille head cheese.)

Area 3 – Kitchen: A large rug of reddish scales covers the floor here. This can be thrown back to reveal a trap door with a narrow staircase leading down to an underground dock. Those heading to the gladiatorial gatherings will be blindfolded before being led down the stairs, and the blindfolds will remain in place until the boat arrive at another secret dock in the caverns near Skullport. This dock connects to a passage which intersects the one leading from Area X4 of Xanathar’s Lair to the Guts & Garter in Skullport.

Area 4 – Storeroom: Trigost’s larder and healing supplies.

Area 5 – Upper Landing: An ancient tapestry on the wall depicts a heavily stylized beholder with several humanoid figures of various races bowing in obeisance before it.

• Injury Reports: A logbook hanging on the wall here records those who have been treated here. The names listed are clear pseudonyms designed to keep the patrons of this house of healing anonymous. One recent entry, however, notes, that a particular wound from an arrow was the result of “incautious observation of the windmill on Coachlamp Lane”. (GM Note: This refers to the Converted Windmill, a Cassalanter outpost.)

Area 6-7 – Master Suite: This is Trigos’ bedchamber, with walk-in closet.

• Desk: Trigos has a variety of expensive stationaries and writing utensils for performing his correspondence, but he also hs a burn-pot that he obviously uses to destroy that correspondence on a regular basis. One recent bit of correspondence he hasn’t had a chance to reply to yet, however, is Instructions for Gladiatorial Weaponry: “The shipment of special weapons that X requested will be sent by Grinda Garloth in Mistshore. See that they’re bundled up and sent along with the next audience procession. -Ahmaergo” (GM Note: If it becomes notable, this is simple a bunch of vicious-looking oddities — many of them foreign weapons from distant lands — destined for the gladiatorial combats.)

Areas 8-10 – Sick Rooms: These bedrooms are used by Xanatharian agents who come to Trigos for his healing arts.

• An Ill Man’s Note: On the bedside table of a Xanatharian agent there’s a note which reads: “Orb Confectioners. / Eight small eyes. / How would you like those arranged? / Around an ocular cake.”

GRINDA GARLOTH: Just use the base description of Mistshore (see Dragon Heist, p. 65), ignoring all of the seasonal variants. Grinda is allied with Xanathar, working primarily as a black market armorer: Xanatharian agents can come to Grinda and get outfitted with high quality equipment. Grinda also freelances, renting her equipment (and Xanathar’s equipment) to third parties.

Area D2: Grinda’s chest contains:

• 500 gp
• A Note Regarding Gladiatorial Weaponry: “Xanathar wants the full bundle of weaponry delivered to Terasse’s house of healing on Elsambul’s Lane no later than two days from now so that it can be sent down to headquarters with the next gladiatorial audience. Don’t be late! He’s looking forward to seeing some exotic gutting. -Ahmaergo” (GM Note: If it becomes notable, this is simple a bunch of vicious-looking oddities — many of them foreign weapons from distant lands — destined for the gladiatorial combats.)

Area D3: Grinda has a wide assortment of mundane arms and armor (including several single-shot pistols). At any given time, she also has 1d4 pieces of magic arms and armor (roll on Table F, DMG p. 146), and 1d4 miscellaneous magic items (roll on Table A or B, DMG p. 145)

XANATHAR SEWER HIDEOUT, TAKE 2: The Xanathar Guild maintains a number of sewer hideouts throughout Waterdeep. This one is a duergar operation run by Korgstrod Uxgulm. Use the Autumn version of the Cellar Complex (see Dragon Heist, p. 86).

Orb Confectioners (Southern Ward, : The sewer hideout can be accessed from the cellar (Area B1) of the Orb Confectioners, a shop specializing in sweets fashion like eyes (smallcakes, sweatmeats, sugar plates, candied nuts).

• Passphrase: Those asking for “eight small eyes” are asked, “How would you like those arranged?” They are to answer, “Around an ocular cake.” If they do so, they are escorted to the basement stairs.

Area B7 – Mechanical Beholder: Mixed in with the other material in this room is a letter.

• On the Delivery of a Mechanical Beholder: “X is outraged that you bungling incompetents couldn’t get his piece de triumphe working for the Shipwrights’ Ball! If it isn’t seen swooping over the Feasts of Leirun, he’ll have your guts for garters! See that it’s delivered to Terasse’s house of healing on Elsambul’s Lane by the ninth of Tarsahk or be prepared to pay for it with your heads! -Ahmaergo”

Area B8: Remove the stairs up.

Area B9b – Korgstrud’s Room: The chest at the foot of his bed is a mimic. The coffer in a secret compartment under the bed (DC 13 to find) contains 500 gp and Correspondence with N’arl Xibrindas.

• Correspondence with N’arl Xibrindas: “Korgstrod—It is very important that this be kept in stricted confidence. Only you, me, and X know of the smokepowder. It must be brought to the Staircase of Eyes on the night of the 1^st at precisely the stroke of eleven. Use disposable muscle. I will mark the sewer tunnels west of your hideout with a red eye to guide your men. – N’arl Xibrindas.”
• GM Note: N’arl’s guildsign leads to Area X1 of Xanathar’s Lair (the secret entrance). See Part 5B: Finding Floon for guidelines on following guildsign. Due to its age, this guildsign requires DC 15 checks to follow and the final check is DC 17 because N’arl deliberately tried to destroy the symbols nearest Xanathar’s lair. If the PCs fail three times before succeeding, it indicates that time and/or N’arl have done too much damage and they’ve lost the trail.

ZHENTARIM OUTPOSTS

ZHENTARIM INTERROGATION HOUSE (Trade Ward, Brindul Alley): Avareen Windrivver (LE female Illuskan human spy) and Zorbog Jyarkoth (NE male Turami human thug) maintain this combination safe house / covert interrogation center.

• Use the Map for house L1 on p. 62 of Dragon Heist.

Front Room: Avareen and Zorbog live here. A nest of three black flying snakes (used by the Zhents for sending messages) nest in a corner near the ceiling.

• Avareen carries a pass-amulet for Kolat Tower (see Part 4).
• As the PCs are exploring the house, a flying snake arrives with A Directive to Zorbog. Signed by “Manshoon”, it exhorts Zorbog to “gather the usual gang” and kidnap “Fenerus Stormcastle, who lives on Quill Alley”, a “known associate of these new meddlers in the Grand Game”. Zorbog is to squeeze Fenerus until he reveals everything he knows about these new participants.

Backroom: The backroom has a rack and several other instruments of torture, along with an arcane circle painted on the floor in the corner. Currently strapped into the rack is Ott Steeltoes, a shield dwarf wearing a leather skullcap stitched with fake beholder eyestalks. Ott is a Xanatharian agent captured by the Zhentarim.

Rescuing Ott:

• Ott: “They kept asking me about where Xanathar kept the Eye! I don’t even know what that is!”
• Ott: “I knew Xanathar would send someone to rescue me! … You’re not with Xanathar? Well, thank you for saving me! We could use a few more good people like you right now with what those filthy Zhent bastards are doing! I could take you back to HQ and make some introductions if you’d like to sign up!”
• Or maybe the PCs can convince him they are Xanatharian agents and have him lead them back to Xanathar’s lair. Ott managed to resist torture for a long time, but in his immense gratitude he makes some errors in judgment.

YELLOWSPIRE (Castle Ward): Use the Winter version of the Old Tower (see Dragon Heist, p. 79). It is occupied by Amath Seccent (LE female Mulan priest), a Banite priestess allied with Manshoon, and her four acolytes.

• Seccent is friends with Agorn Fuoco (see Part 3C: Response Teams), and he may also be found visiting here.
• GM Note: The permanent teleportation circle in Yellowspire is one method of accessing Manshoon’s lair.
• GM Note: If the Gralhunds are still active in the Grand Game, one of their agents, Chirada, may be keeping Yellowspire under observation from a small apartment across the street. (See “A Missive from Castle Ward” in Area G12 of the Gralhund Villa.) Alternatively, following Chirada’s advice, the Gralhunds may be mounting an expedition to raid Yellowspire, access the teleportal, and try to find the Second Eye.

Area O2 – Ground Level: A crumpled note has been carelessly tossed to one side.

• Crumpled Note: “Seccent—I have nothing but contempt for what you have done. I don’t know what foul rites you hope to perform, but the more traditional rites of Brindul Alley would have surely wrung any information this broadsheet publisher might have had. Nonetheless, Manshoon’s word is my command, and so I present to you Shan Chien. May you choke on him. – Avareen”

USING THE OUTPOSTS

These Outposts are fairly flexible in their utility. The DM should be actively playing each faction, and these outposts are some of the tools they can use while doing so. (No different than playing a PC and using their equipment list.) Structurally speaking, however, they’re primarily designed to be pit stops or side quests for the PCs as they head for each faction’s Lair (see Part 4), allowing them to gather intelligence (including, for example, the actual location of hidden lairs and/or the means of accessing them).

Here are some ways to use the Outposts:

• If the PCs want to find a faction by doing general research, point them at the Outposts first. (The Outposts contain clues that point to the Lairs.)
• In some cases, the Outposts will also include vectors accessing Lairs that are difficult to access. (For example, the teleportation circle in Yellowspire or the gladiatorial audience caravans leaving from the Terasse Estate.)
• The PCs are invited to meet with a faction. (This is particularly true for Jarlaxle’s theater, for example.)
• The villains have kidnapped a friend or ally of the PCs. They’re being held in one of the Outposts and the PCs need to either rescue them or go to the Outpost and pay their ransom.
• Villainous operations targeting the PCs or other factions will be based out of the Outposts, giving the PCs an opportunity to track or backtrack them. (For example, a Xanathar raid targeting Jarlaxle’s ship might be based out of Grinda Garloth’s, perhaps even with the Apparatus of Kwalish coming into play.)

From the very beginning of the campaign, keep an eye out for opportunities to point the PCs at the Outposts from unusual angles. For example, maybe they go looking for a supplier of magic armor. Send them to Grinda Garloth’s. Or maybe they’re sent to Fenerus Stormcastle as someone who can help them unravel some guild trouble. Even if these opportunities don’t immediately lead the PCs to investigate these Outposts, it opens the door for them to be reincorporated later when they crop up as part of the Grand Game.

Also refer to Part 5: Clues and Timelines to see the revelation lists which will result in the PCs moving between and through the Outposts.

USING THE CASSALANTER OUTPOSTS

Because the PCs may end up working for the Cassalanters, the use of their Outposts deserves some special consideration.

If the PCs don’t agree to help the Cassalanters, the dynamics of the Cassalanters’ involvement in the campaign will completely change. This is discussed in more detail in Part 3C: Response Teams.

On the other hand, if the PCs agree to help the Cassalanters, then the Cassalanters are generally going to want to keep them at arm’s-length from the rest of their operations. (They recognize that the risk of outing themselves as devil-worshippers and losing the PCs’ support is too high.) In this scenario, the PCs may be able to follow clues from some of the other factions to Cassalanter operations and figure out that something isn’t right, but the odds are low.

The DM, therefore, needs to make a decision: Do they want to make it likely that the Cassalanters will get away with it and pull one over on the PCs? Or do they want the PCs to discover what kind of alliance they’ve made half-way through the Grand Game?

If it’s the former, simply do nothing: With the PCs working for them, the Cassalanters probably don’t have to do anything to get what they want. And they’re smart enough to sit back and do exactly that.

If it’s the latter, have the Harpers or a similar organization tell the PCs that they’ve discovered evidence of devil-worshippers active at a site in the North Ward and send the PCs to investigate the Asmodean Shrine: Once there, they have fairly good odds of discovering evidence that implicates the Cassalanters.

Go to Part 3C: Response Teams