Go to Part 1

After hiding the secret of the Vault’s location in the Stone of Golorr, Lord Neverember chose to further secure it by blinding the Stone: He removed the Stone’s three eyes, robbing it of the ability to both see and communicate its secrets, and hid those Eyes in different places.

In order to discover the location of the Vault, someone needs to restore the Eyes to the Stone of Golorr. (Which is simply a matter of having both in the same location and placing an Eye within an empty socket.) As described in Part 1, the Eyes are currently held by the Cassalanters, Manshoon, and Xanathar. Each of these Eyes have been secured in their respective lairs, and if the PCs want to restore the Stone of Golorr, discover the location of the Vault, and end the Grand Game, then they’re going to have to go into those lairs and get them.

HEIST STRUCTURE

This part of our remix, therefore, restructures the four villain lairs so that the PCs can run exciting and successful heists in them. This includes providing adversary rosters and explicit heist frames for each lair, along with minor tweaks and the like where necessary.

Before we dive in, let’s take a moment to discuss the structure of a heist scenario. It superficially resembles the location-crawl (usually featuring a room-and-key design), but with the – very important! – distinction that the PCs are expected to know the floor plan and some (or all) of the defensive measures present before the actual heist begins. In this it also closely resembles the raid structure, but the difference is that, whereas in the raid scenario the PCs can quickly figure out the floorplan and defensive measures largely through observation in the immediate moment, in the heist discovering these elements usually requires additional effort during the prep phase of the heist.

The heist structure is heavily player-driven, but if the players haven’t done proper heists before, they can prove unusual enough that the DM should let the players know that they have opportunities they might not normally consider viable. (This is particularly true specifically because of the heist’s similarity to the dungeon crawl: Players may assume that they’re “supposed” to engage the heist in the same way that they engage a traditional dungeon.)

The heist structure consists of five steps.

STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE SCORE. For the purposes of Dragon Heist, this means identifying where the Eyes are (i.e., the lairs of the villains). Part 5 will have the revelation lists with all the clues the PCs can follow to figure this out.

STEP 2: GATHER INFORMATION. The next step is for the PCs to gather information on their target. This should include being able to gain access to some or all of the blueprints and defensive measures in the targeted complex. It may also include an event schedule, which will often feature one or more opportunities for performing the heist (by either providing unique access to the target and/or providing cover for the operation).

The descriptions of the lairs below will include brief descriptions of what form the Gather Information phase might take for each lair, but the GM should always remain open to alternative thinking from the PCs.

Re: Blueprints. You may benefit from high-quality player versions of the maps. These are not, unfortunately, available in the book as printed, and due to copyright reasons I’m not going to produce them here. They are available in the Fantasy Grounds pack for Dragon Heist, and I believe they’re also available from D&D Beyond.

You may want to prepare:

• A full blueprint (i.e., the entire player’s map).
• A version with secret areas removed.
• Partial versions, particularly reflecting the limited knowledge of certain underlings who might be questioned. (Although it may be easier to simply sketch these out ad hoc as they come up during play.)

Be aware of the lack of windows in all of these maps. Place them logically or be prepared to tell the players where they’re located.

It’s important for the DM to remember that, in a heist scenario, the expected outcome is for the PCs to succeed in getting this information. That doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed: The expected outcome of combat in D&D is for the PCs to win, but that doesn’t mean it always happens. But DMs can sometimes get a little too enamored of keeping their cards close to their chest, and you may need to consciously remind yourself to fight that instinct: 90% of the fun in a heist scenario comes from seeing a problem and coming up with a solution for it. Only about 10% comes from being surprised by the unknown in the middle of the heist (and that’ll usually arise organically as the heist plays out).

STEP 3: ONSITE SURVEILLANCE. After the initial gathering of information, most heist stories will give the protagonists an opportunity to conduct onsite surveillance before the heist happens. This surveillance allows them to gain information they missed or were unable to gather earlier, clarify the information they already have, and/or discover that some of their information was inaccurate or outdated (and now they have a whole new set of problems to solve!).

One really easy division is to make it easy to obtain floor plans of the target, but to only be able to ascertain limited information about the security measures in place without onsite surveillance.

Each lair will detail at least one surveillance opportunity that the PCs can take advantage of.

STEP 4: PREP WORK. Possibly running in tandem with the onsite surveillance, the team will also need to make preparations for the job. Prep often takes the form of altering the information the PCs have received — creating new entrances, blinding security cameras, subverting guards, etc. It may also involve creating bespoke resources (or simply shopping for necessary supplies).

STEP 5: THE OPERATION. Finally, the operation itself. The PCs try to carry out their plan.

In running the operation, there may be one or more pre-planned twists: Unexpected circumstances that the PCs didn’t anticipate or that they missed in their research. These will often evolve organically from earlier missed checks. Lean into those. Gotchas that the PCs had no way of anticipating and which create unexpected complications for the job (“Oh crap! Mrs. Johnson came home early!”) are also great in moderation, but gotchas that automatically scuttle the entire job and negate all the PCs’ planning generally suck and should be avoided.

Successfully executing a heist will usually involve a series of skill checks. A single failed check should not cause the entire plan to immediately fail. Use fail forward techniques that generate complications on failed checks.

These complications on failed checks are also why you can get away with giving the PCs perfect information during Step 2 and Step 3: Among other things, you can use complications to introduce “oh fuck, he got a new safe” obstacles that effectively alter or reveal gaps in the information the PCs acquired on-the-fly.

(The difference between a gotcha and a complication is that the former are things which you, as the DM, plan to have happen before the heist starts. The latter arise as the heist is happening.)

THE FESTIVALS

As a final note here, this remix is set in the Springtime, during the back-to-back festivals of Fleetswake (Ches 21^st thru 30^th) and Waukeentide (Tarsakh 1^st thru 10^th). There are a couple reasons for this.

First, these festivals are filled with gold- and wealth-filled events, which is very thematically appropriate for the dragon-fueled pursuit of Lord Neverember’s Vault.

Second, and more importantly, these festivals provide wide opportunities for social events – parties, galas, gladiatorial games, etc. – to take place at each of the villains’ lairs. These provide both surveillance opportunities and access for the operations themselves.

The broad date range (and multiple events) give us a lot more flexibility in terms of how this section times out: If we instead aimed for just Trolltide on Klythorn 1^st, for example, and the PCs do things a little slower than we anticipate, then we could easily miss the holiday entirely. If they go a little slower in our case, then we just slide into the next slate of events during the dual festivals.

This long festival season can also explain why Jarlaxle has chosen this moment to appear in town with the Sea Maidens’ Faire: It’s the perfect cover for his traveling carnival.

FLEETSWAKE: This festival is the beginning of the Spring Social Season in Waterdeep. Celebrating the sea, maritime trade, and the gods of the sea, navigation, and weather, it spans the last tenday of Ches, and includes a series of boat races and guild-sponsored galas at the Copper Cup festhall. According to custom, the winners of the various competitions don’t keep their trophies and earnings, but deliver them to the priests of Umberlee at the Queenspire, her temple on the beach by the east entrance to the Great Harbor, at the conclusion of the festival (see below).

• Ches 21 – Selûne Sashelas: A celebration of Selûne, goddess of the moon and navigation, and Deep Sashelas of the Seldarine, elven god of the sea. It is supposedly based on a mangled legend dating back to the time when the elven city of Aelinthaldaar stood where Waterdeep does today and telling of a time when the elves of the sea said farewell to their brethren upon the land and moved into the deep ocean. The elves largely declare this to be a bunch of hogwash, but nevertheless the “historical event” is commemorated by the Twin Parades: A huge line of ships (varying greatly in size) proceeds from the harbor, loops up the coast, and returns. Simultaneously, a land-based parade proceeds from the Docks and through the streets of Waterdeep.
• Ches 25 – Shipwrights’ Ball: Held at the Shipwrights’ House, what was once a guild celebration has turned into one of the biggest social events of Fleetswake.
• Ches 29-30 – Fair Seas Festival: Much feasting on seafood, the harbor is strewn with flower petals, and the City Guards go from tavern to tavern to collect offerings for Umberlee. Collection boxes also appear at large festival gatherings. Upon sunset of the final day, the collected coin is placed in chests and dumped into the deepest part of the harbor. (See Dragon Heist, p. 185 for anyone who thinks they should try to loot it.)
• Ches 30 – Highcoin Balls: When Lord Peirgeiron was High Lord of Waterdeep, he threw the Highcoin Ball on the 30^th of Ches which would last all through the last day of the Fair Seas Festival. It was considered the absolute necessity for those intending to be on the scene that season, and those who missed it became an afterthought for the rest of the year. After Lord Peirgeion’s passing, a number of noble families tried to pick up the tradition. The result are the Highcoin Balls, which now generally begin after sundown (when the ceremonies of Umberlee’s Cache take place). It’s not unusual for guests to wander from one party to the next.

WAUKEENTIDE: This festival has long gathered a number of older holidays under one name, stretching those celebrations and rituals into a holiday season that lasts a tenday in homage to Waukeen, the goddess of wealth and trade.fs

• Tarsahk 1 – Caravance: This gift-giving holiday commemorates the traditional arrival of the first caravans of the season into the city. Many parents hide gifts for their offspring in their homes, telling the children that they were left by Old Carvas – a mythical peddler who arrived with the first caravan to reach Waterdeep, his wagon loaded down with toys for children to enjoy.
• Tarsahk 5 – Goldenight: This festival celebrates coin and gold, with many businesses staying open all night, offering midnight sales and other promotions. Some celebrants and customers decorate themselves with gold dust and wear coins as jewelry.
• Tarsahk 7 – Guildsmeet: On this holiday, guild members gather in their halls for the announcement of new policies and a celebration of business concluded for the year. These gatherings culminate in a gala festival and dance sponsored by several guilds, which lasts from dusk till dawn and overruns the Market, the Cynosure, the Field of Triumph, and all areas in between.
• Tarsahk 10 – Leiruin: In times long past, Waukeen caught Leira, the goddess of illusions and deception, attempting to cheat her in a deal, and buried her under a mountain of molten gold as punishment. A commemoration of that event, Leiruin is the day for guild members to pay their annual dues and for guildmasters to meet with the Lords of Waterdeep and renew their charters for another year. In the evening, the Leiruin Feasts are held, in which gold coins (and other golden treasures) are baked into random items of food to be won by those who are lucky enough to receive them.

HOLIDAYS AT THE TAVERN: See the notes on hosting the Deadwinter Day Feast at Trollskull Manor on page 162 of Dragon Heist for some light, adaptable notes on how the various holidays of Fleetswake and Waukeentide can come home to roost.

DESIGN NOTES

The Highcoin Balls are derived from this wiki. I’ve sought for an original source in all the Waterdeep lore I own and have been unsuccessful, leading me to suspect that it may be an original creation of Joseph D. Carriker, Jr. for his campaign.

NOTES ON THE LAIRS

The notes on the various lairs below include revisions made to some of the keyed areas in those lairs. After years of doing this, I’ve discovered that, rather than attempting to simply annotate the changes to an area, it is usually easier to just “overwrite” the entire area. (That way, as the GM, you only need to check to see if any area has been updated. You don’t have to simultaneously try to combine and interpolate text across multiple sources.)

Therefore, that’s the approach I’ve taken below. If an area appears in the notes below, you can simply ignore the original key entry in Dragon Heist and use the entry as found here. (Unless noted otherwise.)

Remember that NPCs now appear on the adversary roster and should be ignored when they appear in the Dragon Heist room keys.

Go to Part 4B: Bregan D’Aerthe – Sea Maidens Faire

Go to Part 1

GRALHUND RESPONSE TEAM

Depending on how Part 2: Gralhund Villa resolves itself, the Gralhunds might remain engaged with the Grand Game. They’ll know that the only way to re-establish their position will be to take possession of Golorr artifacts, and they’ll probably identify any artifact(s) held by the PCs as the most vulnerable. (But they are likely to use covert means to obtain it if possible.)

If the Gralhunds have somehow managed to retain possession of the Stone, they may be emboldened by their success and more actively pursue the Eyes. It’s more likely, however, that they will eventually realize that they’re out of their depth and use whatever Golorr artifact(s) they’ve managed to obtain as collateral for forming an alliance with another player in the Grand Game. Any of the four major factions can make enticing offers to them, but another possibility is that the Gralhunds simply decide to cut their losses and approach the Open Lord: They won’t get a cut of the money that way, but if they can spin it the right way they may get a lot of political capital out of their “material assistance to the realm”.

Their response team is modest, consisting of:

• Hrabbaz, Lady Yalah’s bodyguard (DH p. 205)
• A spy (MM p. 349)
• A martial arts adept (DH p. 209)

GM Tip: Remember that the Gralhunds also have agents in Renaer Neverember’s home. If the PCs keep Renaer in the loop about their activities, those agents become a potential vector of information back to the Gralhunds.

OPEN LORD RESPONSE TEAM

Laeral Silverhand has the entire apparatus of Waterdeep’s government at her command. If she wants something from the PCs, that command will trickle down through the bureaucracy and be executed by a local team of city watchmen:

• 1 veteran (MM p. 350)
• 4 guards
• Possibly accompanied by an apprentice wizard (DH p. 194)

DESIGN NOTE

The initial team sent by the Open Lord is designed to be a Medium encounter for the PCs. Which means that the PCs can totally take them in a fair fight (or have very good odds of running away successfully). This intentionally gives the PCs the option of doing so. (Once they do, of course, they’re probably living on borrowed time because the Open Lord has much deeper — and much more powerful — resources to call upon.)

This also means that the City Watch can easily be pitted against response teams from the other factions without trivially overwhelming them.

UNSEEN RESPONSE TEAMS

If you’re using the Unseen (from Introcaso’s Unseen Waterdeep, see Part 1B), they’ll most likely make their presence primarily felt through proactive response teams. (Sort of a, “Player Unseen has joined the game!” kind of thing.)

THE ILLUSIONISTS: Aila and Dallia Illmatti are twin sisters and also illusionists. They actually perform a stage act using their skills, and you might consider adding them to the Seven Masks Theater, with the Unseen infiltrating Jarlaxle’s operation there. If pursued, one of their favorite tricks is to have one of the sisters create an illusion of the other (giving them an opportunity to escape with whatever they’ve stolen).

• Aila and Dallia (illusionists, Unseen Waterdeep p. 29)
• Kelso Fiddlewick (a wererat who disguises himself as a vagrant child, MM p. 209)
• 2 thugs (MM p. 350)

STRIKE TEAM: As detailed on p. 4 of Unseen Waterdeep, this is a generic strike team that can be used to achieve any number ends.

• Doppelganger (MM p. 82)
• 01-50: 2 spies (MM p. 349)
• 51–75: 2 thugs (MM p. 350)
• 76–00: a second doppelganger

GALLO & FERRA: A male and female pair of lightfoot halfling wererats who often disguise themselves as beggar children in order to set up observation posts (see Unseen Waterdeep, p. 14). They could show up almost anywhere, and the PCs might not realize something’s amiss until the second or third time they spot them.

GM Tip: Kelso Fiddlewick, who’s part of  the crew Emmek Frewn uses to harrass the PCs’ attempts to open Trollskull Manor (see Dragon Heist, p. 42), belongs to the same pack as Gallo and Ferra.

FREELANCERS

As discussed in Part 1B, Bonnie’s Doppelgangers and the Black Viper should both be used as proactive elements.

BONNIE’S DOPPELGANGERS: See Dragon Heist p. 20. They are also part of faction missions on p. 35 and 27.

• 5 doppelgangers (MM p. 82)

BLACK VIPER: See Dragon Heist p. 196. Also part of faction missions on p. 39 and p. 40.

THE THREE URCHINS

The Three Urchins are detailed in a sidebar on p. 63 of Dragon Heist:

• Nat is a lanky, 10-year-old deaf Illuskan girl with a wooden toy sword. She is the leader of the group and communicates using a sign language that she invented and taught her friends.
• Jenks is a portly 9-year-old Turami boy with a cloak, a toy wand, and a stuffed owlbear “familiar”. He’s shy around strangers but brave when it comes to helping his friends.
• Squiddly is a slim 9-year-old tiefling boy with an eye patch, a small bow, and a quiver of toy arrows. He rarely thinks before he talks or acts.

It may be odd to think of the Three Urchins as a “response team”, but they are a proactive node that the GM can bring onscreen as desired. A few things I’d consider:

• Introduce the Urchins in Trollskull Alley, possibly even as part of the first scene where the PCs arrive at Trollskull Mansion. (They might be inside the abandoned building, rampaging around, pretending to fight trolls and such, and offering all kinds of stories about the ghost of a troll skull which haunts the building.)
• Have them follow the PCs. They “fancy themselves as adventurers of sorts, and they are quick to idolize and emulate real-life ones.”
• Have them interfere with faction missions (most likely while trying to help, unless the PCs have pissed them off).
• Let them be valuable sources of information. They can show up in the streets around Gralhund Villa, familiar with the neighborhood. Nat might know Agorn because she grew up in the same neighborhood he lived in (and knows that he murdered his mother). And so forth.
• Have them eavesdrop on the PCs and volunteer to help.

If you’re content to just have these kids as friendly, rambunctious supporting characters, that’s more than enough. They’ll be a charming and lovely part of your campaign.

But if you’re willing to go a little darker, there are a couple of additional options:

• If the bad guys are looking for someone to kidnap in order to gain leverage over the PCs, one or more of the Urchins makes a great target. (Going to rescue them and discovering that they’ve already broken out of their cell and are causing huge headaches for the bad guys by sneaking around the outpost or lair where they’re being held also offers great comedic opportunities.)
• As I will discuss at further length in Part 5, I think it necessary to give the PCs a stronger motivation to investigate the fireball that kills Dalakhar beyond “it happened sort of near us and it’s obviously a plot hook, so we should just go for it.” One way to provide that motivation is to kill someone the PCs care about as collateral damage. If it won’t be a deal-breaker for your group, I guarantee that killing one of the Urchins after the PCs have become friends with them will set them permanently on the warpath no matter how many city officials tell them to back off.

Go to Part 4: The Eyes of the Stone

Go to Part 1

In remixing Dragon Heist as a dynamic campaign, it becomes necessary for the DM to be able to respond dynamically to the players’ actions. As I mentioned in the description of the Faction Outposts, the DM needs to be actively playing each faction. Response teams are the other half of that equation, providing small, proactive units for each faction that can be deployed as necessary.

These response teams are your primary proactive nodes for Dragon Heist. If you’re unfamiliar with the use of proactive nodes, they’re discussed as part of Advanced Node-Based Design. The short version is that the proactive nodes are the ones that come looking for the PCs. (As opposed to, say, the lairs and the outposts, which the PCs are most likely to go looking for.)

A few examples of what you can use response teams for:

• Competing onsite with the PCs during the Eye Heists (see Part 4), seeking to seize the prize before they can. (Or take it from them after they’ve gotten it.)
• Sent as negotiators to the PCs.
• Attempting to steal the Stone and/or Eyes from the PCs (break-ins at Trollskull Manor, attempted muggings on the street, etc.).
• Waylaying the PCs on their way to the Vault.
• Interfering with the PCs’ efforts to remove the gold from the vault.

But, ultimately, you’re thinking about what the factions know and thinking about how they would respond and then you’re going to use the response teams to do that.

GM Tip: If you’re new to this sort of thing and struggling to come to grips with it, there are a couple of things you can do.

First, take 5 minutes between sessions to think about what each faction is going to do next. Some of those things won’t affect the PCs; some will. Make a list of those and when they’ll happen: Gorath will come to Trollskull Manor at 5pm on the 10^th. Souun Xibrindas will target one of the PCs for assassination with a sniper team at 10am on the 11^th. And so forth. You can do the same thing during a mid-session break. Eventually, you’ll be able to do it in real-time while playing.

Second, as you’re ready to make that transition, make a simple list of the response teams. Stick it to your GM screen as a Post-It note or otherwise keep it handy. When you feel a need to respond to what the PCs are doing, glance at the list and go. You don’t have to keep all this information in your head simultaneously: Make cheat sheets.

COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE: Awhile back I designed skill guidelines for counter-intelligence — if you’re asking questions about certain people or organizations, there’s a real risk that they’ll find out that you’ve been asking questions. Those guidelines were designed for 3^rd Edition, but you shouldn’t find it too difficult to adapt them to 5^th Edition.

Once the PCs know that they’ve gotten themselves tangled up in a Grand Game, you may also want to tell the players about the counter-intelligence procedures. Partly because it’ll give them the opportunity to guard their own intelligence-gathering efforts, but more importantly because it will give them the opportunity to perform counter-intelligence: When the factions are trying to figure out who the PCs are or who they’re working for or what they’re up to, if the PCs are vigilant they may catch wind of that. And that may provide an alternative avenue for investigation (usually taking them to one of the Faction Outposts).

BREGAN D’AERTHE RESPONSE TEAMS

Bregan D’Aerthe’s response teams all follow a common profile:

• 1-2 drow gunslingers (DH p. 201)
• 4-8 drow (MM p. 126)

One of the drow gunslingers is likely to be one of Jarlaxle’s lieutenants (DH p. 201-202):

• Fel’rekt Lafeen
• Krebbyg Masq’il’yr
• Soluun Xibrindas

Later in the campaign, you might have a team with all of the surviving lieutenants show up for a climactic battle.

Note that Fel’Rekt is also the lieutenant leading the Bregan D’Aerthe team at Gralhund Villa (see Part 2). All of them have quarters on Jarlaxle’s ships.

FEL’REKT LAFEEN

• A Recommendation for Materiel: A note written in silver ink on black paper. “Regarding the need for alternative sources of materiel, make contact with Grinda Garloth of Mistshore. Use all caution and do not reveal your true heritage, as she is allied with the beholder and that poses certain risks for us now. – J”

KREBBYG MASQ’IL’YR

• Sealed Letter to Fenerus Stormcastle. A simple missive addressed to “Fenerus Stormcastle, of Quill Alley” thanking him for his service. It is written in silver ink on black paper and signed “J”. It is attached to a velvet pouch containing 100 gp.

SOLUUN XIBRINDAS

• Carries a bloodstained playbill from the Seven Masks Theater, belonging to a performance of Blood Wedding which took place several nights earlier. (In the play, according to the playbill, a young woman is brought to a castle by a count, only to fall in love with his younger brother, a man of faith. Her betrayal eats away at the jealous count. He murders his brother on his wedding day and pursues the bride, who hurls herself off the castle battlements in despair. The count is cursed by the gods and transformed into a creature of darkness, damned to live in his castle and feed on blood.)
• GM Note: Soluun has taken to attending plays at the Seven Masks Theater and then stalking and murdering elven and half-elven members of the audience after the show.

CASSALANTER RESPONSE TEAMS

If the PCs have agreed to help the Cassalanters, then the Cassalanters will generally be fairly passive in their activities. (The PCs are their agents in the field.) If the PCs request assistance from them, however, the Cassalanters might dispatch Seffia Naelryke and her team (either to gather intelligence and deliver it to them, or to fight at their side).

If the PCs turn down the Cassalanters, then the whole shape of the campaign will shift:

• Imps summoned at the Asmodean Shrine will try to keep the PCs under constant surveillance, keeping the Cassalanters apprised of what the PCs are doing and learning.
• Add Seffia’s team to the Eye Heist at Xanathar’s. They’ll be aiming for the same goal.
• Willifort Crowelle will attempt to assassinate Jarlaxle. He’ll fail, but a few days later he’ll target the PCs in a similar attempt. This may prompt Jarlaxle to reach out to the PCs and propose an alliance against the Cassalanters.

SEFFIA NAELRYKE: Seffia is a loyal Asmodean cultist. She lives at the Converted Windmill outpost with Arn Xalrondar.

• Seffia Naelryke (cult fanatic, MM p. 345)
• 2 spies (MM p. 349)
• 1 veteran (MM p. 350)
• 1 invisible imp (MM p. 76)

Seffia’s Letter: Seffia carries a letter from Lord Cassalanter. It reads: “Seffia—Lady Ammalia and I are both deeply moved by what your ritual accomplished. It speaks to your true faith in the power of our Master, and you have clearly been blessed by him. As you suspected, we did, in fact, find Neverember’s Third Eye in the crypt of Lady Brandath. Thank you for all that you have done. — Lord Victoro”.

• GM Note: This is a prized possession for Seffia and she keeps it with her at all times. She will cry out with anguish and rage if it is taken from her.

WILLIFORT CROWELLE: “Willifort” is supposedly the elderly tiefling valet of the Cassalanters. In truth he is a doppelganger and their most trusted lieutenant. Willifort might approach the PCs disguised as a friend or ally in order to pump them for information; or he may try to burn the PCs’ bridges by disguising himself as one of them and doing something to piss off powerful people. And when the Cassalanters definitively need a problem solved, Crowelle is the one they’ll send in with a team of demonic enforcers.

• “Willifort Crowelle” (doppelganger, MM p. 82)
• bearded devil (MM p. 70) or 2 cult fanatics (MM p. 345)
• 3 cultists (MM p. 345)

XANATHAR RESPONSE TEAMS

GORATH: Gorath is the leader of a small team of duergar. His team is sent in one when someone needs to be taught a lesson.

• 4 duergar (MM p. 122)

KORGSTROD UXGULM: If Gorath is taken out, Korgstrod is sent out from the Xanathar Sewer Hideout (see Outposts) to send a stronger message.

• Korgstrod Uxgulm (duergar, MM p. 122)
• 3 duergar
• half-ogre (MM p. 238)
  • Orb Confectioners’ Note: The half-ogre carries a note which reads, “Orb Confectioners. Say: ‘Eight small eyes.’ ‘Around an ocular cake.’”
• gazer (DH p. 203)

NOSKA UR’GRAY: Noska, a shield dwarf, is another of Xanathar’s enforcers.

• Noska Ur’gray (DH p. 213)
• 6 bugbears (MM p. 33)
• gazer (DH p. 203)

A DIRECTIVE FROM N’ARL XIBRINDAS: The first or second Xanathar response team the PCs encounter should carry A Directive From N’Arl Xibrindas, instructing the leader of the response team to get “properly outfitted” by Grinda Garloth. (If it’s the second response team they’ve dealt with, it might specify that “these gutter-scum upstarts already took out [insert name here], so you’ll want to make sure you’ve got something a little extra to deal with them.”)

• This team has a potion of healing, potion of greater healing, and a +1 weapon. (They were, in fact, outfitted by Grinda.)

ZHENTARIM RESPONSE TEAMS

Manshoon’s response teams consist of:

• 1 lieutenant (Vevette, Urstul, or Agorn)
• 3-4 thugs

All of Manshoon’s lieutenants carry pass-amulets to Kolat Towers (see Part 4), but will attempt to destroy them if it looks as if they are being captured. (Except Agorn, that feckless weasel, who will attempt to barter it for his own life.) They leave their teleport rings with Sidra Romeir when journeying outside Kolat Towers. (If they’re slain by the PCs, Sidra will give them to Kaevra; see Part 4E.)

TO THE INTERROGATION HOUSE: Any Zhentarim response team sent to attack the PCs will have been instructed to take them as prisoners to the Zhentarim Interrogation House. If questioned, they’ll be able to point the PCs in the direction of the house in Brindul Alley in the Trade Ward.

VEVETTE BLACKWATER: When she was a young girl, Vevette was abused by her mother. A Zhentarim agent came to her when she was twelve, put a blade in her hand, and asked if she wanted to take control of her life. She did. And she’s been in the Black Network ever since.

Vevette’s past manifests itself in a deep streak of cruelty and ruthlessness, but to most outward appearance she is a charming bon vivant. She has fiery red hair with two streaks of brilliant platinum, which can actually glow in the dark on her command.

Stats: CE female Tethyrian human swashbuckler (DH p. 216)

Notes:

• Vevette carries Seffia Naelryke’s Visiting Card. It gives Seffia’s address as “the Windmill on Coachlamp Lane”. (GM Note: Seffia approached Vevette in order to open a discrete line of communication between the Cassalanters and Manshoon, but her overtures were rebuffed. After their experiences with Xanathar, the Zhentarim suspected a trap.)

AGORN FUOCO: Agorn made such a good impression on Manshoon that he was elevated quickly through the ranks of the organization, but his life was full of disappointment otherwise. He has not achieved the fame he craved nor earned the wealth he felt he was entitled to. He has adopted the Zhentarim credo that power comes to those who deserve it. In fact, he believed it so much that he murdered his own mother in order to “escape” her poverty. He has come to see the Black Network as a new family of sorts.

Agorn is a hollow coward. When engaging with the PCs, he will generally send the thugs under his command to attack while he remains at a safe distance. If his men are being slaughtered, he will bravely run away as quickly as possible in order to save his own worthless hide. As noted above, he will offer up his pass-amulet to Kolat Towers in exchange for his own life.

Agorn is friends with Amath Seccent (see Yellowspire in Part 3B: Faction Outposts), but he will gladly sell her out, too, revealing the existence of the teleportation circle in Yellowspire.

Stats: NE male Turami bard (DH p. 195)

Notes:

• Agorn carries a Report to Agorn Fuoco. “Korgstrod Uxgulm’s outfit is based out of the Orb Confectioners’ on Rising Ride just off Caravan Court. Not sure how the backroom can fit them all, but there’s no question that Xanathar’s duergar come in and out of there on the regular.”

URSTUL FLOXIN: Urstul is a thuggish man who notably leads both the Zhentarim attempt to capture Dalakhar (and gets blown up for his trouble) and their operation at the Gralhund Villa. If he survives the latter, he can crop up later leading a response team.

Stats & Background: DH p. 216

Notes:

• Urstul carries the Directive to Urstul Floxin: “Any prisoners taken from the other players of the Grand Game should be delivered to Avaareen in Brindul Alley. – By Order of the Zhentarim”

DESIGN NOTE

Vevette Blackwater and Agorn Fuoco are supposed to appear in Appendix B of Dragon Heist. As far as I can tell, however, they’re missing in action, so I’ve provided more detailed backgrounds for them here.

Note that the Zhentarim response teams are generally weaker than the response teams from the other factions. This probably means the Zhents won’t be taken as seriously by the PCs as the other factions, but it also makes them a good selection if you want to or need to hit the PCs when they’re already weakened.

Also check out the “Secret Simulacrum” option on page 162 of Dragon Heist for another Zhentarim response option.

To Part 3D: Other Response Teams

Go to Part 1

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

Go to Part 1

As you may have already ascertained, this remix is simply tossing out most of Chapter 4: Dragon Season from the original campaign. The original sequences no longer work with the more dynamic, multi-faction approach we’re using for the remix, and I’m simply not that interested in these sorts of pre-scripted, linear, and often railroaded sequences.

We’re still going to take advantage of some of the raw material in Chapter 4, however, to create a number of Outposts for each faction. (In some ways you can think of this as sort of taking the best version of each location from the campaign.)

BREGAN D’AERTHE OUTPOSTS

FENERUS STORMCASTLE’S HOUSE (Trade Ward, Quill Alley – Dragon Heist, p. 63): Fenerus Stormcastle was the founder of the Blood Hawk Posse, a gang of horse-riding brigands that, to this day, harries travelers on the road to Amphail. When he was drummed out of the gang after a botched raid, Fenerus “retired” to Waterdeep and joined the Guild of Chandlers and Lamplighters. He supplements his income by spying for the city of Luskan and providing his contacts with information on the political climate in Waterdeep, as well as juicy bits of news overheard on his nightly rounds through the Trades Ward.

Since the Sea Maidens Faire arrived in Waterdeep, Fenerus has also been acting as a message drop for Bregan D’Aerthe. Fenerus collects messages from various covert drops and brings them back to his house, where they are collected by Krebbyg Masq’il’yr and taken back to Jarlaxle’s ship.

Questioning Fenerus: Although he’s supposed to be a cut-out, Fenerus once followed Krebbyg after Jarlaxle’s lieutenant picked up the messages and knows that they’re being taken to the Sea Maidens Faire.

Following Krebbyg: Krebbyg comes to collect messages from Fenerus once every 1d3 days. If the PCs stake out the house long enough, they may also be able to follow him to the Sea Maidens Faire.

Messages: The PCs may be able to capture several messages. These are written in code, requiring an Intelligence test (DC 16) to decipher. (The check is made with advantage if they speak Drow.) The contents of these messages will vary depending on when, exactly, the PCs come to Fenerus’ house. Possibilities include:

• Information unrelated to the Grand Game, most likely revolving around attempting to identify Masked Lords, gain blackmail material over them, and/or diplomatic assessments of their support for Luskan joining the Lords’ Alliance.
• A report from the Gralhund Villa observation team: “Watchpost established in the manor south of the Gralhund Villa. We have identified members of the Black Network onsite. We have also observed gazers in the area, although we have not yet determined which beholders’ dark dreams they’ve sprung out of. – Fel’Rekt Lafeen”
• “Westra Moltimmur is demanding three additional dresses for Sapphiria’s Booty. Considerable expense. Rongquan Mystere may need to put in an appearance.” (A little research can quickly identify these names as referring to the Seven Masks Theater, see below.)
• “The Council of Musicians, Instrument-Makers, & Choristers refuses to withdraw their objection to the Sea Maidens Faire as a public entertainment. But I’ve resolved the matter by getting license from the Jesters’ Guild. We only need to make payment to them with claim that we are employing a guild entertainer, even though we’re not. The guilds in this city are even more rotten than those in Luskan.”
• “Nimblewright delivery completed to Bowgentra Summertaen. We have eyes up in the Watchful Order.” (Summertaen is the leader of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, a guild for wizards and sorcerers in Waterdeep.)

SEVEN MASKS THEATER (Dragon Heist, p. 75): Use the description of the Autumn version of the theater from the original campaign. Jarlaxle owns this theater under the false identity of Rongquan Mystere. One of the dressing rooms is kept empty as a safe house for D’Aerthe agents in trouble. Jarlaxle will also use the theater as a “neutral” meeting place with other factions (including the PCs).

Malcolm Brizzenbright: We’ll also transplant Brizzenbright’s Ghost from the Winter version of the Theater (see Dragon Heist, p. 76). He’s the founder of the Seven Masks Theater, but has been dead for over thirty years.

• He knows that “Rongquan Mystere” is a fake identity, and he’s anxious that his theater not be used for nefarious purposes.
• He can identify the dressing room being used as a safe house.
• He once saw “Rongquan” speaking with drow in the lobby during a performance of The Mad Mage’s Seven Riddles. They mentioned something called the “Sea Maidens Faire”.

Area P6 – Stage Manager’s Office: Amongst the other papers dealing with theater work is a Letter Regarding Fenerus Stormcastle’s House. Directed simply to “J”, it warns him that, “There have been strange eyes fixed upon the house of Fenerus Stormcastle and flights of black snakes have been seen flocking the skies of the Trades Ward. Greater care should be taken when messengers approach the house, and we may want to find an alternative asset. I leave it to your judgment whether or not Fenerus himself should be warned. -K”

• GM Note: “J” is Jarlaxle Baenre and “K” is Krebbyg.

CASSALANTER OUTPOSTS

ASMODEAN SHRINE (North Ward, Aveen Street): From the outside, this appears to be a nondescript residence. The entire interior of the house, however, has been converted into a shrine dedicated to Asmodeus. The Cassalanters discovered the ancient Hell cyst (see Area 8) below the house, bought the property, and installed members of the cult.

Area 1 – Summoning Circle: Demonic sigils have been painted onto the floor to form a summoning circle. Tapping into the power of the Hell cyst, the circle can be used to summon 2 imps once every nine days.

Area 2 – Styxian Shrine: Intertwined figures of demons and devils twist about the columns in this room, a visceral depiction of the savage brutality of the Blood War. At one end of the room there is a small font of reddish-gray stone that extrudes from the wall. The cistern is half-filled with grayish water, enchanted to act as the water of the River Styx. Those drinking from it must succeed at a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or lose all of their memories for 8 hours. (The cultists consider this a test of their faith and a sacrament.) On the wall above the font, the symbol of Asmodeus has been painted on the wall in blood.

Area 3 – Demonic Statues: Two large demonic statues – one depicting a kyton (chain devil) and the other a bezekira (hellcat) – face off against each other.

Area 4 – Chapter House: Huge, writhing tentacles seem to erupt from an arcane circle on the far side of this room, but it’s just a disturbingly lifelike statue given the semblance of life by an animate object spell (50 hp, AC 10, +6 to hit, 2d20+2 damage, Str 14, Dex 10). The tentacles are fastened to the floor and only attack a target within 10 feet if given a command by one of the cultists; otherwise they just writhe artistically.

Two cots are lined up against the wall. A long trestle table runs down the middle of the room with benches to either side.

Under the cot is Arn’s Book of Worship: This text with a stylized goat’s head drawn in blood upon its plain brown cover, contains a number of “high prayers” to Asmodeus and the description of a number of banal demonic rites of worship. On the inside back cover, in simple handwriting, one can read, “This book belongs to Arn Xalrondar, of the Windmill upon Coachlamp Lane.”)

Area 5 – Demonic Jelly: Three large wooden kegs. A mysterious amber jelly within them acts like a potion of hill giant strength if rubbed over the body (6 doses per keg).

Area 6 – Mirror of the Fiend: A large mirror with an obsidian frame carved with demonic sigils stands at the far end of this chamber. Anyone seeing themselves reflected in the mirror is bathed in purplish flames which deal 1d6 damage per round to most creatures, but heal 1d6 damage per round for fiends.

• Noble Sigil: On the back of he mirror is carved a small rune. A DC 13 Intelligence (History) check reveals that his is a Waterdhavian noble sigil; a practice that was once common in Waterdeep, but which died out over a century ago. A DC 16 check identifies this specific rune as indicating that the mirror belonged to the Cassalanter family.

Area 7 – Passage of the Nine Hells: The plaster walls of this long hallway are completely covered in a mural seamlessly depicting the Nine Hells – the desolate wasteland of Avernus; the malefic green skies of Dis; the endless rotting bogs of Minauros; the magma-ridden valleys of Phlegethos; the frozen sea of Stygia; the cyclopean basalt of Malbolge; the endless, maze-like ruins of Maladomini; the serrated glaciers of Cania. At the far end, above the arch leading to the descending stairs, is depicted the Malsheem, the Citadel of Hell, in Nessus, the Ninth Circle of Hell.

Area 8 – The Hell Cyst: The entire lower level of the shrine is clearly much, much older than the house above it. The walls were once covered in bas relief, but the stone has worn away and the carvings have become unrecognizable.

In a niche one end of the cramped corridor, the extrusions of stone seem to reach out from the wall and almost cradle a glowing ball of hellish red light which floats in midair.

Those who dare to lean close to the ball will discover that – at a distance of a few inches or so – they can actually peer into it (or perhaps, more accurately, through it). Doing so is like peering through a heavily distorted lens into a volcanic hell. (The Hell cyst is actually a pin-prick of Hell co-located onto the Material Plane. There is no way to traverse or communicate through the event horizon of the cyst, but the cyst is nevertheless a literal manifestation of Hell on Earth and can be used as the focus for a number of demonic rites.)

ASMODEAN SHRINE – ADVERSARY ROSTER

Questioning Cultists: Successfully questioning the cultists will reveal that rituals are held at a site beneath the Cassalanter Villa. The fanatics will report that their contact there is Willifort Crowell (which might lead the PCs to believe that the Cassalanters are unaware of what’s happening in their own home); the wizard knows better and may be made to reveal as much.

Instructions from Lord Cassalanter: The apprentice wizard carries a note from Lord Cassalanter instructing that the next pair of imps to emerge from the summoning circle should be dispatched to perform surveillance on the Sea Maidens Faire, which he believes to have become of particular importance as a result of recent intelligence which has come into his posssesion. (The note might mention the PCs by name here if they were the source of this intelligence; otherwise he names Willifort Crowelle.) “The imps should report back to me directly at the villa.”

CONVERTED WINDMILL (Southern Ward, Coachlamp Lane): Use the description of the Summer version of the Converted Windmill (see Dragon Heist, p. 88). It’s used as an apartment by Arn Xalrondar (LE male Tethyrian human) and Seffia Naelryke (LE female Tethyrian human), both cult fanatics.

Area W7 – Secure Apartment:

• A note can be found under the bed. It reads: “Meeting Ches 17^th, the shrine on Aveen Street”.

Area W8 – The Room of Rituals: A pentagram has been painted on the floor in blood. At the points of the pentagram are five black globs of wax — the remains of burned candles — and there’s a variety of writing in charcoal surrounding the pentragram. There is a desk alone one wall, covered in a mass of papers.

• The Ritual – DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana): The ritual performed here was a form of weak demonic divination, similar to a legend lore or contact other plane spell, but more like a weakly amped up Ouija board or similar parlor trick. The runes indicate that this ritual was performed in an effort to find something associated with “Neverember”, “the wealth of Waterdeep”, “Golorr”, and “that which has been lost to the waters of Lethe” (although the latter appears to be more of a symbolic representation rather than a literal one).
• Desk: At the center of the drift of miscellaneous papers is a map of Waterdeep. Strange lines of blood criss-cross the map in bizarre patterns, but one location within the City of the Dead has been picked out from the pattern and circled in black charcoal. Accompanying writing identifies this as the “Brandath Crypt”.
• GM Note: This ritual, performed by Seffia, identified the Brandath Crypt as the hiding place of one of the Eyes. It actually only worked, however, because the Vault is actually hidden below the Crypt (making it a much more powerful locus for the conceptual anchors of the ritual), although Seffia didn’t realize that.

Got to Part 3B: More Faction Outposts