Go to Part 1

Dragon Heist launches with the PCs being hired by Volothamp Geddarm to find his missing friend Floon Blagmaar. Unfortunately, the scenario structure for this investigation is quite fragile, being formed from long sequences of linear clue-finding. There are also several continuity problems that we’re going to straighten out.

VOLO’S HIRING SPEECH

There are several problems here.

First, if the PCs don’t fight the troll or stirges that emerge from Undermountain, Volo has no reason to hire them. So if the PCs decide that discretion is the better part of valor here, the whole campaign never happens. (This is relatively low risk, but something you might want to give some thought to.)

Second, the adventure oddly claims, “Volo is embarrassed to admit he might have gotten his friend Floon in trouble, and he resists providing all the details of what happened the night Floon disappeared.” That must be some vestige from a previous version of the scenario, because in the published version of the scenario he does, in fact, tell the PCs everything that happened and has absolutely no reason to think he’s responsible for Floon’s disappearance. (Just ignore this continuity error.)

Third, when Volo hires the PCs, his hiring speech sets up a timeline of events which doesn’t line up well with the events described in the rest of the chapter. (According to Volo, Floon was kidnapped by the Zhentarim two nights ago, but “before the interrogation could begin”, the Xanathar Guild kidnapped him from the Zhentarim, and when the PCs arrive at the Xanathar sewer hideout, their interrogation of Floon has just begun. Where did the missing day go?) We’re going to clear this up (and prelude a later clue) with two new chunks of boxed text:

The figure who approached you strokes his mustache, adjusts his floppy hat, and tightens his scarf. “Volothamp Geddarm, chronicler, wizard, and celebrity, at your service. I am most impressed by your derring-do, and the truth is that I fear I have misplaced a friend amid the odious violence which has recently been seizing the streets of this fair city, and I could use your assistance in finding him. You’d be well paid, of course.”

PAYMENT: 100 gp per character, with 10 gp per character up front.

DC 10 Wisdom (Insight): Volo is stretching the truth about how much he can pay immediately. (Currently low on cash, Volo is awaiting royalty payments from Volo’s Guide to Monsters and he’s currently endeavoring to finish Volo’s Guide to Spirits and Specters, for which he is certain receive a handsome advance.)

FLOON: Once the job is taken, Volo identifies his missing friend.

My friend’s name is Floon Blagmaar. He’s got more beauty than brains, but he’s a great drinking companion. Last night he accompanied me to the Skewered Dragon, a dark, bawdy tavern in the Dock Ward. I called it an early night, but Floon remained – drinking and merrymaking.

His wife tracked me down here in the Yawning Portal half an hour ago and told me that Floon never came home last night. This was doubly surprising, as I had not previously been aware that he was married.

Floon is a handsome man in his early thirties with wavy red-blond hair. He is not difficult to pick out of a crowd, however, for he insists on always wearing a gaudy, 6-inch bas relief of a unicorn’s head on a chain of blue pearls around his neck.

(The necklace is a holy symbol of Lurue. It was Floon’s mother’s, but he’ll tell any of a dozen different stories for how he got it.)

TO THE ZHENTARIM WAREHOUSE

Tracking Floon from the Skewered Dragon to the Zhentarim warehouse is restructured as a two-part investigation.

BLOOD IN THE STREETS: Make sure to frame the “Blood in the Streets” incident on the way to the Skewered Dragon.

• Mention that the three men who have been arrested each have a black tattoo of a flying snake (one on the hand, two on their arms).

REVELATION #1: Floon was kidnapped by men with flying black snake tattoos.

• Canvassing the Neighborhood: Several people saw Floon and another man (Renaer) waylaid in front of the Old Xoblob Shop (see Dragon Heist, p. 23). Xoblob the Gnome can describe the attack (see Dragon Heist, p. 24). Searching outside Xoblob’s shop will turn up a gaudy, 6-inch bas relief of a unicorn lying in the gutter (see below).
• Questioning at Skewered Dragon: As the PCs arrive, the evening regulars are probably rolling back in. Several of them will remember Floon and be able to describe how he drank with Volo, Volo left, and then he was joined by another man, a “spoiled, rich noble who likes to rub our noses in it!” (Note: Berca, the bartender, knows that the other man was Renaer Neverember, the son of Waterdeep’s previous Open Lord, Dagult Neverember, but she won’t be free with that information.) Floon and the other man left around midnight. They were followed out by several men, one of whom had a tattoo of a flying black snake on his neck.

(Note: Contrary to the published scenario, the patrons of the Skewered Dragon do NOT know that the “flying black snake” men can be found on Candle Lane. Some of them may be able to identify them as Zhentarim gangsters at the GM’s discretion.)

REVELATION #2: Floon was taken to the Zhentarim warehouse on Candle Lane.

• Canvassing the Neighborhood (Looking for Tattoos): Several locals have seen men with flying black snake tattoos “up by the candle on Candle Lane” (see Dragon Heist, p. 24). Surveying the lane identifies the correct warehouse because it had a black winged snake painted above the front door’s handle. Asking workers at the other warehouses along Candle Lane can also point them at the right warehouse, and may also reveal that there was some kind of “ruckus” over there early this morning, with large groups of people coming and going.
• Questioning the Prisoners: The PCs may backtrack to the “Blood in the Streets” crime scene and figure out a way to talk to the Zhentarim agents being held by the city watch. (They’re likely to speak with Captain Staget, see Dragon Heist, p. 27). If they can convince these agents to talk, they’ll learn that they aren’t local, but were told to report to the warehouse as a safe haven after performing the hit on the Xanatharians.
• Tracking Floon’s Beads: Floon kept his wits about him as he and Renaer were being kidnaped. Breaking the necklace around his neck, he let the blue beads drop into the streets and alleys as they were carried to the warehouse. PCs who find the unicorn’s head in the street outside Xoblob’s may be able to track the trail of beads back to the Zhentarim warehouse.

PROACTIVE FAILSAFES: If the PCs’ investigation is running aground, consider using these proactive elements.

• Zhentarim hear that the PCs are asking questions about Zhentarim agents, safe havens, or both. A number of Zhent thugs (MM, p. 350) equal to half the number of PCs comes to intimidate them into going away. (Adroit PCs can turn the tables, question them, and learn the location of the warehouse.)
• A small squad of Zhentarim agents arrives at the Zhentarim warehouse. The kenku lying in ambush attack them, and the fight spills out into the street right in front of the PCs.

AT THE WAREHOUSE

As initially described in Part 1, after he lost his Eye to Xanathar, Manshoon needed to get back in the game. His agents eventually concluded that Neverember’s son, Renaer, might have another of the Eyes. They were right, although Renaer didn’t know it: His father had given him an elaborate, ivory mourning locket in honor of his mother. The Eye was hidden inside it.

The full dynamic in the first chapter, therefore, is this:

• Zhentarim agents snatch Renaer Neverember and his friend Floon Blagmaar.
• While questioning Renaer in Area Z5, they realize that the Eye is in the mourning locket and take the locket from Renaer.
• Renaer is hauled back down to Area Z2 and tied up next to Floon. Upstairs, the Zhentarim break open the locket (it can still be found in Area Z5), remove the Eye, and give it to a courier to carry to Manshoon.
• Floon is then hauled upstairs for questioning (the Zhentarim want to see if he might be worth a ransom).
• Xanathar’s agents storm the warehouse. They immediately find “the prisoner” (i.e., Floon), assume he’s Renaer, and several of their agents hustle him out to their sewer hideout. Meanwhile, Renaer takes advantage of the confusion downstairs to slip his bonds and hide in Area Z2.
• Xanathar’s agents do a perfunctory sweep of the warehouse and then take off, leaving the kenku behind to kill any Zhents who show up.

DEAD SNAKE: A black flying snake lies dead in the lower yard, pierced by an arrow. (GM Note: The Zhentarim tried to send it as a messenger during the attack, but a Xanatharian watcher shot it down.)

RENAER: Renaer will be able to tell the PCs that he was questioned by the Zhents about the half million dragons his father stole from the city; then they ripped off a locket that was very precious to him. If they find the locket and see the (now empty) secret compartment inside it, Renaer can also tell them that he had no idea that the compartment existed or what was stored inside it.

TO THE XANATHAR GUILD HIDEOUT

Once the PCs realize that Floon was taken by members of the Xanathar Guild, they’ll need to track them back to the Xanathar Guild Hideout in the sewers.

TRACKING: The Xanatharians exited the warehouse through the yard on the lower level and accessed the sewer half a block away down the alley. A DC 11 Wisdom (Survival) check easily tracks them that far.

Once in the sewers, it requires three successful DC 13 Wisdom (Survival) checks. On a failure, the PCs waste considerable time needing to backtrack and pick up the trail. If the PCs fail the test three times, they’ve wasted too much time: When they arrive at the hideout, they find it abandoned except for the goblin watchers in Q2 and Zemk, the usual keeper of the hideout, in Q5. Floon’s dead body lies in Q7. (Zemk will toss it into the sewer later in the day when he gets around to it.)

However, each time the PCs roll a tracking check, whether it’s successful or not, they can also make a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) test to notice the guildsign (see below).

(Note: Even if the PCs only manage to recover Floon’s dead body, Volo, albeit a little disappointed with them, will still reward them for completing their mission.)

QUESTIONING THE KENKU: As described on page 25 of Dragon Heist, questioning the kenku may reveal the existence of the guildsign in the sewers (see below). Beyond that, the kenku are largely incapable of describing where the hideout is located. However, they can lead the PCs there (although they’ll be looking for opportunities to lead them into traps or otherwise betray them).

GUILDSIGN: Symbols scrawled in yellow chalk – a stylized representation of Xanathar – is marked at each tunnel intersection in the sewers, indicating the path which should be followed by the direction the main eye is looking. Once the PCs are aware of the guildsign, they can simply follow it back to the hideout.

To Part 5C: The Nimblewright Investigation

Go to Part 1

In this penultimate section of the Remix, we’re going to use the principles of node-based scenario design to retrofit the campaign’s fundamental structure. This work can broadly be divided into three parts:

• Strengthening the Three Clue Rule for Finding Floon (Chapter 1)
• Heavily revising the Nimblewright Investigation that leads to the Gralhund Villa (Chapter 2)
• Linking together all of the elements of the Grand Game (primarily the faction outposts and lairs)

This will primarily consist of revelation lists, the use of which is discussed in the original Three Clue Rule essay.

Where the clues on these revelation lists can be integrated into the material we’ve treated at length in the Remix, I’ve done so. In these cases, the revelation lists can be used strictly for their normal function: As a reference for helping the GM to understand and track the structure of the scenario.

In some cases, however, clues are added to other sections of the campaign which we haven’t visited in detail as part of the Remix. (This is particularly true for the material in Part 5B: Finding Floon, for example.) These clues will be called out, and the GM will need to use the revelation lists to make sure that this material is properly incorporated into those sections of the campaign.

THE REFERENCE TIMELINE

Before diving into the revelation lists, however, we’re going to organize all of the back story of the campaign (revised and otherwise) into a single reference timeline. This partly exists in order to eliminate the myriad continuity errors found in the original campaign, but mostly to provide an easy reference for the GM while they’re actually running the campaign.

RISE AND FALL OF LORD NEVEREMBER

• 1451 DR: Neverwinter is destroyed when a small adventuring party (including Jarlaxle Baenre) awoke the primordial Maegera beneath Mount Hotenow.
• 1467 DR: Lord Dagult Neverember, Open Lord of Waterdeep, proclaims himself ruler of Neverwinter and begins the New Neverwinter movement to rebuild the city.
• Lord Neverember begins embezzling money from the Waterdeep treasury.
• Lord Neverember discovers the Stone of Golorr in Neverwinter.
• When Lady Alethea Brandath (Lord Neverember’s wife) dies, Lord Neverember learns of the existence of an ancient dwarven vault beneath the Brandath Mausoleum.
• Lord Neverember gains access to the old Melairkyn Vault beneath the Brandath Mausoleum. He begins storing the embezzled money (eventually totaling half a million gold dragons) in the Vault and uses the Stone of Golorr to hide its existence.
• As an additional security precaution, Lord Neverember blinds the Stone of Golorr: Leaving the Stone in Waterdeep Palace, he keeps one of the Eyes with him in Neverwinter, secretly gives one to his son (hidden inside a mourning locket), and hides the last within the Brandath Mausoleum.
• During this time, various factions become aware that Lord Neverember is engaged in some grand scheme, of which only the contours are known. The phrase “Neverember’s Enigma” is coined.
• 1489 DR: Laeral Silverhand returns to Waterdeep and Lord Neverember is deposed.
• In the confusion of the transition of power, Lord Neverember sends agents to retrieve the Stone of Golorr from the palace. As those agents leave the city, they are ambushed by Xanatharian agents who steal the Stone.

THE GRAND GAME

• The Cassalanters retrieve what they believe to be Neverember’s Enigma — but is actually just one of the Eyes — from the Brandath Mausoleum. Their research quickly reveals that it is part of the Stone of Golorr.
• Lord Neverember sends a network of agents into Waterdeep. Many of these agents are attempting to locate the Stone. One of them, Dalakhar, is assigned to keep a watchful eye on Dagult’s son, Renaer. (Dalakhar isn’t told this, but Lord Neverember’s primary concern is that the Eye unwittingly carried by Renaer is kept safe until he can regain the Stone.)
• Manshoonian Zhentarim steal the Eye from the Protector’s Enclave in Neverwinter.
• Laeral Silverhand’s auditors discover Lord Neverember’s embezzlement. The news soon leaks.
• Zhentarim go to Xanathar to propose an alliance. Xanathar kills the embassy and takes their Eye. A gang war breaks out between the Guild and the Black Network.
• Lord Neverember discovers that Xanathar stole the Stone. Dalakhar is sent to infiltrate Xanathar’s organization and steal the Stone back. (At this point Lord Neverember believes that Xanathar has the Stone and that the Zhentarim still have the Eye they stole from him. To maintain the original siloing of information, Dalakhar is not told about the Eyes and doesn’t know to look for the one Xanathar now holds.)
• Jarlaxle Baenre arrives in Waterdeep and begins selling nimblewrights.

DRAGON HEIST BEGINS (1492 DR)

• With Dalakhar’s network removed from watching over Renaer, he’s exposed. The Zhentarim kidnap Renaer and take the Eye hidden in his mourning locket. (The PCs then presumably rescue Renaer.)
• Ches 20^th: Dalakhar successfully steals the Stone from Xanathar.
• Ches 22^nd: Dalakhar’s attempts to leave town are unsuccessful. (Xanathar tracked down and killed his extraction team before he could rendezvous with them, and he has agents surrounding Renaer Neverember’s house.) Dalakhar attempts to meet Renaer at Trollskull Manor, but by this time he’s being actively tracked by the Gralhund, Zhentarim, Cassalanters, and possibly others. Dalakhar is killed by the Gralhund Nimblewright. (See Part 2 and Part 5C.)

REVELATION LIST: THE STONE OF GOLORR

The first part of Dragon Heist is procedurally driven by investigations which are, structurally, unrelated to the Stone of Golorr: The PCs can solve the mysteries of Floon’s kidnapping and Dalakhar’s assassination without necessarily understanding what the ultimate motivation behind those crimes was.

Thus, the key turning point in the campaign is when the PCs realize what’s truly at stake and, importantly, begin to proactively drive the Grand Game.

REVELATION: DALAKHAR WAS CARRYING THE STONE OF GOLORR

• Casting speak with dead on Dalakhar or the dead Zhentarim (see Dragon Heist, p. 46, but note that we’re specifically adding that the Zhentarim knew that Dalakhar was carrying the “Stone of Golorr”).
• Questioning any number of people involved in the Grand Game (Urstul Floxin, the Gralhunds most likely, but also members of Xanathar’s Crime Guild or, later, Bregan D’Aerthe lieutenants).
• Observing Jarlaxle’s nimblewright recordsings. (Sea Maidens Faire)
• A Directive from Jarlaxle (Gralhund Villa – Arthen Manor)

REVELATION: WHAT IS THE STONE OF GOLORR?

• Researching the Stone of Golorr (see Part 6A)
• Any significant player in the Grand Game (lieutenant or up within any faction) will know that the Stone of Golorr is they key to finding Lord Neverember’s Enigma
• Faction Reports on the Grande Game (see Part 6D)

REVELATION LIST: THE THREE EYES

The PCs need to figure out that (a) the Stone of Golorr is missing three Eyes and (b) where those Eyes are being held, so that (c) they can go steal them. This is basically the core structure of the campaign.

REVELATION: THERE ARE THREE MISSING EYES

• Studying the Stone of Golorr
• Gralhund Study of the Grand Game (Gralhund Villa)
• Jarlaxle’s Report on the Grand Game (Sea Maidens Faire)
• Cassalanter Report on the Grand Game (Cassalanter Villa)
• Xanathar’s Report on the Grand Game (Xanathar Lair)
• Manshoon’s Report on the Grand Game (Kolat Tower)
• Letter to Lord Neverember (Kalain)

REVELATION: CASSALANTERS’ EYE

• If the PCs are working for them, the Cassalanters provide their Eye once they have the other two.
• Jarlaxle’s Report on the Grand Game (Sea Maidens Faire)
• Manshoon’s Report on the Grand Game (Kolat Tower)
• Seffia’s Ritual & Seffia’s Note (Converted Windmill / Response Team: Seffia)

REVELATION: XANATHAR’S EYE

• Gralhund Report on the Grand Game (Gralhund Villa)
• Jarlaxle’s Report on the Grand Game (Sea Maidens Faire)
• Cassalanter Report on the Grand Game (Cassalanter Villa)
• Manshoon’s Report on the Grand Game (Kolat Tower)

REVELATION: ZHENTARIM’S EYE

• Gralhund Report on the Grand Game (Gralhund Villa)
• Jarlaxle’s Report on the Grand Game (Sea Maiden’s Faire)
• Xanathar’s Report on the Grand Game (Xanathar’s Lair)
• Questioning Samara (Xanathar’s Lair)

REVELATION LIST: THE VAULT KEYS

• Examining and researching the vault entrance (The Vault)
• Cassalanter’s Report on the Grand Game (Cassalanter Villa)
• Vision of the Vault (Stone of Golorr)
• Questioning Kalain (Backtracking Dalakhar)

Go to Part 5B: Finding Floon

WRITING & DESIGN: Justin Alexander

It takes just over a full day for one of the massive climbers to claw its way up the ‘stalk from the peaks of Kilimanjaro fifty thousand kilometers below. Steiner Technology keeps twelve of them in rotation, but you’ve got to space ‘em out to control the oscillations and with only one ‘stalk in operation they all have to arrive before you can turn them around. That means ten days of backbreaking labor for the orbitmen on Kepler Station, followed by two days off while Kilimanjaro does its turn-around.

Try to steer clear of the machinations of the Methuselah Families — cryo-preserved scions overseeing vast corporate wealth from beyond a frozen almost-grave — and dance through the back-corridors 30,000 miles up with Patthar Black Baggers and the Over-Under Gang.

This is Kepler Station. Where diamonds are cheap, but oxygen is the price of life.

MORE TECHNOIR @ THE ALEXANDRIAN
Technoir System Cheat Sheet
Untested Technoir: Fleeting Relationships
Technoir: The Untouched Core
Technoir and PvP
Technoir and the Three Clue Rule
Technoir: Sequences vs. Skill Challenges

Go to Part 1

Although Manshoon lost the original Eye he had obtained, as Dragon Heist begins the Zhentarim seize possession of the Eye unwittingly carried by Renaer Neverember. This Eye is then immediately taken back to Kolat Towers and secured.

Unlike the other lairs in Dragon Heist, Kolat Towers operates more like a fortified bunker. This creates a very non-typical heist scenario which, in some respects, will play more like a raid or dungeoncrawl scenario. The primary heist-like aspect of the scenario, in fact, is simply gaining access to the Towers in the first place.

Kolat Towers is structured like an onion:

• You need to obtain a pass-amulet in order to pass through the force field surrounding Kolat Tower. A pass-amulet is a silver disc with the initials “DK” (for Duhlark Kolat) written in Espruaran runes on either side of a small, central blue gemstone. Someone holding a pass-amulet, or touching someone holding a pass-amulet, can simply walk through the force field as if it wasn’t there. (Other methods for bypassing the force field are described on pages 148-149 of Dragon Heist.)
• You need to obtain a teleporter signet ring in order to reach the inner sanctum., as described on page 157 of Dragon Heist. These brass signet rings have a stylized M. written upon them.

SURVEILLANCE OPPORTUNITY

Barring unusual circumstances or out of the box thinking, the PCs are unlikely to have a surveillance opportunity inside Kolat Towers.

More traditional surveillance (i.e., simply watching the Towers from a nearby building) reveals the crucial point of data required, however: The use of pass-amulets by anyone entering or leaving the tower. (They may glimpse some taking them out from their shirts and holding them aloft, although that’s not strictly necessary. They may also note the strange habit of those accompanying pass-amulet holders of touching them as they move through the force field.)

In addition, most of the Towers’ inhabitants will simply assume that anyone who has bypassed the force field must have a pass-amulet and, therefore, must have legitimate business there. Their incredible security system has, ultimately, made them somewhat lax when it comes to actual security, and PCs who are smart enough to lean into that assumption can effectively seize a surveillance opportunity for themselves mid-heist.

BLUEPRINT NOTES

The original tower which stood on this site was a small library owned by the Watchful Order of Magists & Protectors. The Kolat brothers purchased the site, altered the original tower, and built a second tower. Buried deep in its records, the Watchful Order still has copies of the original plans drawn up when they acquired the tower as part of a deceased wizard’s estate. These plans, however, only show the Tower as it existed before the Kolat brothers began their renovations. It:

• Consists of only of the Main Tower.
• Does not include areas K7, K8, K12, K13, or K14.
• Level 6 is a single room.

It should be noted that Xanathar has a superior set of blueprints for the Towers, obtained by his agents (see Part 4D).

THE TOWERS

Area K14 – Servants’ Quarters: Sidra Romeir also bunks in this room (in a larger bed opposite the four bunk beds used by the thugs she bunks with). She keeps her teleporter signet ring in the locked drawer in the bedside table.

Area E9 – Library: Alabaster shelves line the porphyry walls and jut out into the center of the room. On one wall, an arcane rune has been carved into the porphyry and filled with some form of bright green metal.

• Books: 10 particularly rare books have bookplates identifying them as belonging to Duhlark Kolat are laid out on a small table with a notebook nearby showing that someone has been studying them and taking notes; they are worth 50 gp each. The entire collection is worth 5,000 gp.
• Rune: This rune is the keymark for an astral vault bloodlocked to Manshoon. By design, Manshoon (and only Manshoon) can trace a specific set of patterns on the rune, causing the wall to temporarily phase out of existence and grant access to a small astral vault. In practice, dispel magic can disable the bloodlock or a disguise self (or similar illusion) can fool it, while an Intelligence (Arcana) or Dexterity check can figure out the pattern (defeating it like any other lock).
• Inside the Astral Vault: The vault contains the Eye, 5 pass-amulets, a dozen teleporter signet rings, and Manshoon’s Report on the Grand Game (see Part 6D).

Area E10 – Audience Chamber: This room is lit by a sunglobe which levitates in midair near the ceiling. (On command, a sunglobe glows with the light of the sun itself. It can be commanded to maintain its current position, levitating in mid-air until grasped.)

ADVERSARY ROSTER

* Has a teleporter signet ring.

STAT REFERENCE

Sidra Romeir (LE female Callishite human) – veteran, MM p. 350
Manafret Cherryport – lightfoot halfling mage, MM p. 347; see DH p. 149
Yorn the Terror – half-orc thug, MM p. 350; see DH p. 150
Lady Gondafrey – gargoyle, MM p. 140; see DH p. 152
Kaejva Cynavern (female Mulan human) – mage, MM p. 347; see DH p. 158
Urstul Floxin – assassin, MM p. 343; see DH p. 216
Vevette Blackwater (CE female Tethyrian human) – swashbuckler, DH p. 216
Agorn Fuoco (NE male Turami human) – bard, DH p. 195

Havia Quickknife / Mookie Plush (LE lightfoot halfling) – martial arts adepts, DH p. 209

• Lawful Evil
• 49 (11d6+11) hit points
• Racial Traits: Small, walking speed 25 ft., move through the space of a Medium or larger creature, advantage on saving throws vs. being frightened.
• Speak Common and Halfling.

Manshoon Simulacrum – DH p. 209
Manshoon – DH p. 209

Thugs – MM p. 350
Apprentice Wizards – DH p. 194

Animated Armor – MM p. 19
Barlgura – MM p. 56
Spectator – MM p. 30
Flying Snakes – MM p. 322

QUESTIONING THE ZHENTARIM

Thugs know the general layout of the tower:

• They’ve been told not to enter the Outer Tower or go above the third level of the Main Tower.
• Manshoon’s lieutenants wear special rings that let them access Manshoon’s sanctuary atop the Outer Tower (although they don’t know that this is actually an extradimensional space; they think he just lives up there).

Apprentice wizards know the same, but also know:

• That Manshoon lives in an extradimensional sanctum.
• He protects his valuables in an astral vault hidden somewhere in the sanctum. His former fourth apprentice tried to gain access to it and was disintegrated when Manshoon caught him.
• That the Stone of Golorr was blinded and Manshoon is attempting to find its three Eyes. He already has one. He once had another that was stolen by Xanathar. And he has recently identified that a local noble family has the third. (They don’t know the identity of the noble family.)

Manshoon’s lieutenants know what the apprentice wizards know, but also:

• The layout of the extradimensional sanctum, including the location of the astral vault.
• That the Cassalanters are the noble family who possess the third Eye.

THE DEMON

If the PCs encounter the summoning ritual in Area K15 and don’t disrupt it, then eventually the apprentice wizards succeed in binding the barlgura and Manshoon is able to send it on a mission. Options to consider might include:

• Attacking the PCs at Trollskull Manor.
• Sending it as part of an operation to steal back “his” Eye from Xanathar, possibly inflicting damage in Xanathar’s Lair. (This could easily happen in the middle of the PCs attempting their heist there.)

Go to Part 5: Clues and Timelines

Go to Part 1

Xanathar stole the Stone of Golorr from Lord Neverember and he stole one of the three Eyes from the Zhentarim. Then he lost the Stone when Dalakhar took it from him.

As a result, once the PCs become truly involved with the Grand Game, it is likely that Xanathar is on a level playing field with Manshoon and the Cassalanters, holding but a single Eye.

EVENT SCHEDULE & SURVEILLANCE OPPORTUNITY

Throughout the festival season, Xanathar hosts gladiatorial games every 2-4 days. As noted in Part 3B, those interested in attending the fights must learn the secret pass phrases and go to gladiatorial gathering points throughout the city.

In addition to the arena itself (X6), those attending these fights are allowed to congregate in areas X2, X17, and X18. Servants circulate through these areas, serving drinks and food. Additional guards are placed in the entrance to hallways X21 and X22, however, to turn guests away. (See the Tournament adversary roster, below.)

Panopticus Dwarves: The panopticus dwarves in Area X16 keep the following areas constantly under surveillance:

• Area X2 – Entrance Hall
• Area X6 – Arena
• Area X18 – Audience Chamber
• Area X23 – Antechamber of Madness
• Area X32 – Downstairs Hallway

Identifying the function of the ghostly eyes during onsite surveillance is probably crucial to carrying out an effective heist. Their function can be determined with a DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check, making it clear that there must be a panopticus circle somewhere nearby being monitored by a number of watchers equal to the number of ghostly eyes. A detect magic spell combined with a DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check will allow the caster to follow the magical lines of force between the eyes and the panopticus circle, effectively triangulating the location of the circle if they can observe at least two eyes.

In addition, as described in Area X16 below, the panopticus circle can be suborned.

DESIGN NOTE

Note that the list of areas surveilled by the panopticus dwarves is deliberately altered. The easiest access to Xanathar’s Sanctum (X19) is through the door in Area X18. By placing a scrying sensor there, it more or less forces the PCs to either suborn the panopticus or find an alternative route to Area X19.

BLUEPRINT NOTES

There are no blueprints of Xanathar’s Lair to be found. Questioning Xanatharian agents might give the PCs an opportunity to piece out information, but convincing them to do so when the consequence is Xanathar’s displeasure is not an easy task.

Far easier is contacting one of the many people who have attended the gladiatorial games to describe what they’ve seen. In general their recollections will be limited to the “public” areas listed above, but:

• There’s one halfling who remembers seeing some of Xanathar’s personal guard come through the secret door between X17 and X16 (“I was looking at this fresco of a leafless tree that had lidless eyes embedded in its branches and suddenly – presto! – the whole wall swung back and some of those shifty-eyed bugbears came through”). She didn’t see how the door operates.
• If they get particularly lucky, they might track down a foolhardy couple who snuck through the door from the Audience Chamber (X18) into Xanathar’s Sanctum (X19) and can describe what they saw there.

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

As described on p. 101-102 of Dragon Heist, there are a number of other powerful factions throughout the city that are aware of Xanathar’s Lair and can reveal the secret entrance to Area X1.

There is a magical portal to Xanathar’s Lair in the Guild Sewer Hideout in Chapter 1: Finding Floon. It’s possible (although unlikely) that the PCs already gained access to the lair at that time. If not, they could theoretically put the hideout under surveillance, ambush Nihiloor, and use his amulet to activate the portal and enter the lair.

If Ott Steeltoes is rescued from the Zhentarim (see Part 3B), he may also be gulled into leading the PCs to this secret entrance.

PLAYER TWO ENTERS THE GAME

Whenever the PCs choose to launch their actual heist, it turns out that Jarlaxle is simultaneously attempting to do the exact same thing.

The Team: Jarlaxle’s team consists of himself, one of his lieutenants, and a Bregan D’Aerthe response team (see Part 3C).

Entrance: Generally speaking, there are three methods of entry to Xanathar’s Lair. You can come in the secret entrance (X1), you can try to sneak in from Skullport (X4), or you can be brought in as part of the audience for the gladiatorial games (also via X4, but almost certainly arriving in X6 before you’ll have a chance to slip away).

I recommend having Jarlaxle’s team use a method of entry which the PCs didn’t. So if the PCs came in through X1, for example, then Jarlaxle’s team arrived from either Skullport or as part of the crowd for the gladiatorial tournament.

Jarlaxle’s Plan: The ace in the hole for Jarlaxle is that he’s aware of the secret passage (X14) leading to Xanathar’s Sanctum. How, exactly, he gains access to the passage is heavily dependent on the circumstances in which the heist takes place. (And, dramatically speaking, the DM should ideally make it cross the path of the PCs’ heist as much as possible: Seeing Jarlaxle or his lieutenants from across a crowded room or at the far end of a deserted hallway about their business will be a satisfying complication. This will also be easier to do if Jarlaxle’s team includes someone the PCs have seen before during the Grand Game, if that’s not Jarlaxle himself.)

Jarlaxle’s modus operandi will generally be using secondary teams to create distractions in order to draw people (including Xanathar) away from where he wants his primary team to be. For example, if the heist is going down during a gladiatorial match, Jarlaxle’s plan might look something like this:

• One of his men picks a fight with the guards blocking entrance to hallway X21. This draws the guards preventing entry to X22 away from their posts.
• Jarlaxle’s lieutenant and two more of his men slip into X22 and down the stairs to X32. They make their way to the Recreation Hall (X28) and throw smoke bombs through the door.
• Men from X28 rush to the Audience Chamber (X18), causing the guards on the door there to rush out to X8. Jarlaxle and his remaining men slip through the door behind them and then through the secret door to X19.
• After locating the Eye, they go down the emergency escape route to X21. Jarlaxle uses his hat of disguise to don the appearance of Ahmaergo, orders the guards to assist in the commotion downstairs, meets up with the rest of his team as they emerge back up the stairs and through Area X22, and then heads for the exit.

Nar’l Xibrindas: N’arl is an agent of Bregan D’Aerthe, but his ability to directly assist Jarlaxle during the heist is limited due to the presence of the grell bodyguard Xanathar has placed on him. Jarlaxle would also prefer to keep him in situ as a valuable source of intel until the Grand Game has concluded.

However, once the distractions start causing turmoil, Nar’l might contribute to Jarlaxle’s plan in subtler ways. (For example, by ordering key guards out of the way on plausible pretexts at the right moment.)

Effect on the PCs: The presence of Jarlaxle’s team will almost certainly cause complications for the PCs’ plans, but the PCs’ actions are also likely to cause complications for Jarlaxle. It will be most satisfying if you let both those things play out naturally, and keep in mind that it’s equally possible for the PCs to benefit from security holes Jarlaxle opens for his own team (and vice versa).

DESIGN NOTE

Competing with a second crew trying to pull of the same job is a really exciting situation that opens up a lot of unique tactical choices and dramatic situations. But there’s another reason for including Jarlaxle’s crew here: Xanathar’s Lair is probably the hardest nut to actually crack. If things get out of hand, the presence of Jarlaxle’s crew gives the DM a tool to either (a) easily pull heat off of the PCs or (b) steal the Eye, prompting an easier heist at the Sea Maidens Faire.

THE LAIR

X7 – Cell Block: See Dragon Heist for full description.

• Questioning Samara: Samara was part of the original delegation sent to Xanathar to negotiate a Golorr-related allegiance. The rest of her team was killed, but she was thrown in here and has been fighting for her life ever since. Her information is dated, but she believes that Xanathar holds the Stone of Golorr (which is the key to Neverember’s Enigma, although she doesn’t know that’s half a million gold coins) and that he’s taken Manshoon’s Eye. She also knows that there are two other Eyes. She can tell PCs that Manshoon is based out of Kolat Towers, and that the Towers can be accessed from Yellowspire.

X12 – Ahmaergo’s Quarters: In addition to the normal entry for this room, the chest contains A Briefing for Xanathar Concerning the Grand Game.

X16 – Panopticus Station: In addition to the normal entry for this room, it is possible to suborn the panopticus network. A DC 16 Intelligence (Arcana) check can determine that altering two specific runes in the circle will create an “echo” in the vision provided by the ghostly eyes. (In other words, yes, they can loop the video feed.) Doing so will require sneaking past the dwarves, but that’s not too hard because they’re only half-aware of their immediate surroundings.

X18 – Audience Chamber: In addition to the normal entry for this room, there is a ghostly eye scrying sensor.

X19 – Xanathar’s Sanctum: In addition to the normal entry for this room, Xanathar keeps the Eye in Sylgar’s fishbowl.

X28 – Guild Recreation Hall: In contradiction of the normal entry for this room, there is no scrying sensor in this room.

X35 – Nar’l Xibrindas’ Office: In addition the normal entry for this room, the desk contains a Report on the Seven Masks Theater.

• Report on the Seven Masks Theater: A letter Rostrum Feilcook of the Fellowship of Innkeepers, a guild which also oversees local theaters, confirms “your exalted suspicion” regarding the new ownership of the Seven Masks Theater, insofar as the purported owner – “Rongquan Mystere” – is actually being funded by another source, most likely with money originating from outside Waterdeep. A second letter, dated two days later, reports that Rostrum has identified Rongquan’s mysterious patron as “Captain Zord of the Sea Maidens Faire” with his money “originating from Luskan”.
• GM Note: Nar’l Xibrindas stole these letters and hid them before Xanathar could see them.

ADVERSARY ROSTER

XANATHAR’S LAIR

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS: When entering any public area, there is a 1 in 10 chance of having a random encounter.

A PRIVATE FIGHT

• Xanathar (invisible in southeast alcove)
• Ahmaergo
• Noska Ur’gray
• 10 bandits + 5 bugbears as an audience
• 2 goblins serving salted rat intestines and stirge meat pies
• 1d4 random combatants from Area X7

A PUBLIC AUDIENCE

• Xanathar, using psychedelic light display to deliver an incoherent, self-aggrandizing speech to a group of sycophantic underlings who have never seen his true form
• Nar’l Xibrindas
• Grell Bodyguard
• 10 bandits
• 2 duergar

ADVERSARY ROSTER – TOURNAMENT

During a tournament, there will be gathered an audience of 30-60 people. This crowd will either by in the Arena (X6) or congregating socially in Promenade (X17) and Audience Chamber (X18).

Guards: Xanathar’s bandits act as guards. (These numbers are included in the adversary roster below.)

• X6: 2 guards at either end of the audience.
• X17: 2 guards are stationed at the exits to X2, X21, and X22.
• X18: 2 guards on all three doors.

Xanathar: Xanathar enters the Audience Chamber (X18), gives a short speech extolling how wonderful it is that he’s doing this for everyone, and then floats through the Promenade (X17) to the Arena (X6), where he sets up court in the southeast corner.

The Arena Crowd:

• Xanathar
• Ahmaergo
• Thorvin Twinbeard (01-50%)
• Nihilor (01-50%)
• Ott Steeltoes
• Nar’l Xibrindas (01-50%)

In the Arena: See Dragon Heist, p. 114 for details on participating in the tournament.

XANATHAR’S LAIR – DURING A TOURNAMENT

STAT REFERENCE

Ahmaergo – DH p. 193
Flutterfoot Zipswiggle – DH p. 104
Thorvin Twinbeard – dwarven commoner, MM p. 345 (DH p. 216)
N’arl Xibrindas – drow mage, MM p. 129 (DH p. 211)
Noska Ur’gray – shield dwarf thug, MM p. 350 (DH p. 213)
Ott Steeltoes – dwarf cultist, MM p. 345 (DH p. 214)

Bandits – MM p. 343
Bugbears – MM p. 33
Duergar – MM p. 122
Grell – MM p. 172
Kuo-toa / Kuo-toa whip – MM p. 199-200

Chefs – kobolds, MM p. 195
Halfling Cook – commoner, MM p. 345

QUESTIONING THE HENCHMEN

Any member of the Xanathar Guild will be fairly familiar with all of the public spaces in the lair.

• Xanathar is even more paranoid than usual right now and hasn’t left his lair in weeks. That isn’t likely to change as long as the gang war with the Zhentarim is ongoing.
• Xanathar has some kind of machine that “wakes him up in emergencies”. (GM Note: This is a mangled version of what his dream machine (X20) is actually for.)
• Virtually all of the Xanatharians steer clear of the mind flayer’s demesne (X23-X27). It’s not unheard of for even loyal members of the Guild to disappear over there. As a result, they don’t know much about the layout or what’s there (although they know prisoners are delivered over there). Conniving Guild members might try to convince the PCs that this is where whatever it is they’re looking for is located (with the expectation that Nihiloor will eat their brains).
• Xanathar doesn’t allow anyone to enter the Area X33 and most don’t even know what’s in there, but some know that there’s a secret door connecting the Arena (X6) and “whatever Xanathar has hidden down there”.

N’arl Xibrindas knows more than most. He’s even snuck into the Crypt of Xanathars Past (X33). But he’ll also suspect that anyone questioning him is actually an agent of Xanathar trying to reveal him as a double agent.

To Part 4E: Zhentarim – Kolat Towers