Fantasy Dragon Heist (Completed)

[Yokai]

Demand compensation.
​

Iselas' blonde head peeked out from behind her two, much more intimidating -- she could admit to it! -- companions as she assessed Emmek's seemingly sincere expression. Though, she couldn't understand why he looked so confused; he had sent his were-rats over to their tavern in a sabotage move, after all. Still, she took some pity on him and decided to explain the situation a little.

"The were-rats you sent over?" Iselas elaborated, raising an eyebrow at the man. "We will need compensation for the disruption of atmosphere and for the trouble you've caused tonight."

 

[ArcticFox]

"I don't know what you are talking about." Emmek says, pretending to clean the mugs behind the bar.

"The two halflings told us already, Emmek." Regongar's eyes narrow as he approaches the bar, leaning on it. "Don't make this easier than it has to be."

Emmek looks around warily, then swallows. He is silent for a moment, until he finally crumbles.

"I've nothing to give you! No one's been coming here and I'm on my last reserves!" He says desperately. When you take a closer look around, you see that only a handful of candles light the room which is almost devoid of furniture. The beams on the roof look old and mouldy and the counter is in the verge of crumbling to dust. Emmek speaks again, "I spent everything I had buying this place, but look at the state of it! The last owner robbed me blind! And on top of that, you sprung that tavern out of nowhere and what little business I had, moved over there!" He glares at you.

- Insist on having the last of his money.
- Snoop around to see if there are any valuables.
- Leave him alone.

 

[Yokai]

Snoop around to see if there are any valuables.
​

"Not our fault you made bad business choices," Iselas shrugged nonchalantly, scratching at her nose as she glanced over the sparsely furnished room. Though she hated to admit to it, she did feel a little bad for Emmek; even if he had put his money into sabotage rather than attempting to improve his own tavern.

"And I'm sure you won't mind if we have a look around?" She asked, more out of curiosity for what he actually owned than anything. Iselas loved gold a little too much and she did have the bad habit of borrowing things permentantly. But usually from those would had more than her.

 

[ArcticFox]

"I'll alert the City Watch!" Emmek says at first, but Regongar slaps a friendly hand on his wrist, holding him in place.

Amiri joins your search. You scour the inn up and down, noticing the various states of disrepair the rooms are in. There's not much valuables to find, though, either Emmek is really dirt poor, or he keeps them hidden elsewhere. After half an hour of snooping, you find a silver necklace that could be sold for about twenty gold and a small pouch, with five golden pieces inside.

"Should break his legs just in case." Amiri says when you return to the counter.

- Deal with Emmek.
- Let him off with a warning.

 

[Yokai]

Deal with Emmek.
​

"Hmm," Iselas made a thoughtful noise at Amiri's suggestion and turned to appraise Emmek once more. Breaking his legs seemed extreme but she could see where the barbarian was coming from. It'd be a precaution but she doubted Emmek could recover from such a violent act, especially with his were-rats annoyed at him.

"We are not going to break your legs today, Emmek," Iselas said, placing emphasis on the 'today' part of that sentence. "If you are smart you'll take what you can and leave. You won't find much business here once we've exposed your attempted sabotage to the public. I don't want to kill you, so please don't force my hand." She admitted with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I'm normally pretty reasonable but I'm only one of three who own that tavern."

Something she was definitely leaving out was how that tavern wasn't just a tavern, it was their home. And that held a lot of weight to Iselas.

 

[ArcticFox]

Amiri and Regongar back you up, even though both of them want to at least break one of his legs. Emmek looks devastated and defeated when he promises that he will leave the first thing in the morning. The three of you return back to your home, in a much better mood.

Days pass and your tavern starts generating a stable income. Amiri now stays in it full-time, taking on her role of a bouncer with pride. Regongar still hangs out with the Zenths, but he goes on missions less frequently. All three of you can live a cozy life if your business stays afloat.

--

Chapter III - Fireball
​

It looked like it would be just another ordinary morning, before everything was engulfed in chaos.

Windows rattle as the roar of an explosion fills Trollskull Alley. Charred bodies and anguished screams fly through the air. A thick cloud of acrid smoke billows outward from the blast, which seems to have occurred right outside your door.

"Fireball!" Regongar exclaims, running to the broken windows of your estate. Through them you can see a building little further down the street engulfed in flames, several casualties strewn about, and the residents of Trollskull Alley panicking. The patrons that were in your tavern that morning, quickly rush outside.

- Go outside to see what happened.
- Stay inside.

 

[Yokai]

Go outside to see what happened.
​

Both of Iselas' hands were instantly clamped down over pointed and sensitive ears as she winced at the sudden explosion of noise. It took a long moment for the half-elf to reorient herself, blinking rapidly as she clamored over to a window to gaze out into the street beyond. Chaos reigned. She scrunched up her nose in distaste at the billowing black smoke and the scent of burnt flesh on the air. It looked like there were bodies in the street. Unfortunately, staying inside wasn't going to help anyone and she hurried to follow their patrons outside.

 

[ArcticFox]

Residents of Trollskull Alley are shaken by a loud whoosh, rattling windows, and the screams of city folk. In the wake of the explosion, people emerge from their houses and shops to survey the devastation. The flames of the fireball subsided quickly and you can see that the building that had been hit was one of the residential stone buildings in the area, and it had not suffered much but cosmetic damage.

However, you count eleven bodies on the ground, some of them charred, some bruised or bloody, but all of them unmistakably dead. You don't have much time if you want to snoop around, as this incident will definitely attract the City Watch.

Among the dead on the ground, you spot half-elves, humans, halflings and a gnome.

- Examine the humans.
- Examine the elves.
- Examine the halflings.
- Examine the gnome.
- Look around.
- Wait for the Watch.

 

[Yokai]

Look around.
​

The devastation and subsequent body count appeared to be higher than what Iselas was expecting. Especially when she considered that the building in question had only suffered superficial damage. What Iselas needed to find out -- or, wanted to find out -- was why and how this attack had occurred in the first place. Electric blue eyes glanced over the area as she circled around the bodies, giving them a relatively wide birth as she surveyed the scene of the crime.

 

[ArcticFox]

You can't conclude much based on what you see. Based on the angle of the crumbling facade of the house and the way the bodies are scattered about, you can be fairly positive that the fireball had come from a rooftop. Any magic wielder is able to conjure such a spell, all you needed is a scroll and some mana. It was very basic and very dangerous.

You can't deduce if they targeted the house, or the people on the street, and there's nothing of note to find around, especially with the residents crowding in.

Regongar approaches one of the human victims, kneels down and removes the charred cowl. He hisses, then walks over to you.

"I know two of the the poor bastards. Members of Zentharim." He tells you. However, the Zenths are a big organisation and this doesn't have to mean anything.

- Examine the other bodies.
- Wait for the Watch.

 

[Yokai]

Examine the other bodies.
​

Iselas had never really shown much interest in magic beyond avoiding it. Her half-blood should have given her a slight advantage, and yet magic often reminded her more of what she'd never had; a family or a history beyond the streets. Marric had taught her the only skills that he knew, the skills of a rogue, and then that had become her history. However, seeing the destruction it had caused made her wonder whether that was a good choice. How were you supposed to defend yourself against such reckless power?

"I am sorry to hear that, Reg." Iselas murmured as she passed the half-orc by, a sympathetic pat delivered to his shoulder. Now she had more of a reason to identify and examine the bodies, though she did so tentatively. It wouldn't do to disrespect the bodies or disrupt the crime scene.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Don't be, it's not like we were friends." Regongar shrugs. He and Amiri split up to take a look at the damage the fireball did.

You approach the bodies and see the two cowled Zentharim first. They wear leather armour and have sheathed longswords at their belts. Next to them lies an elderly woman, looking like she was just doing some daily shopping on the market. Close to her are three young half-elf women, dressed like maids, probably employed by some local noble. You see four halfling bodies as well, with flutes and fiddles, a street band. And lastly you see a charred body of a gnome, his cloak burned and a dagger clutched in one of his hands. You see a coin pouch hanging from his belt, singed.

- Examine the bodies closer (roll d20 for perception check, modifier 2).
- Steal the pouch (roll d20 for sleight of hand, modifier 7).
- Leave the bodies undisturbed.

 

[Yokai]

Steal the pouch (rolled 14).
​

Blue eyes fell upon the body of the gnome, or, more importantly, the small pouch of coins located on his belt. The desire to solve this mystery and to discover the meaning behind this attack were momentarily pushed aside. Slender fingers twitched with the desire to reach out and take, to possess. And, after a moment of hesitation, Iselas gave into said temptation, taking the coin pouch with a dexterous grasp. Hopefully nobody had noticed.

 

[ArcticFox]

You grab the small ouch without anyone being the wiser and discover that it has about 100 gold pieces worth of gemstones inside. You also notice that the dead gnome has dry waste on his boots and cloak, suggesting he has spent time in the sewers recently.

There's nothing else that you manage to deduce, because the Watch arrives.

Two men are at the head of the City Watch, leading a force of twenty officers. The taller one instructs the constables to round up the witnesses for questioning and the shorter man with glasses inspects the scene of crime carefully, writing his observations in a notebook.

One of the constables approaches you.

"Ma'am, were you here during the explosion? Would you be willing to answer some questions, please?" He asks you.

- Yes.
- No.
- Say you weren't there.

 

[Yokai]

Yes; say you weren't there.
​

Pouch of coins added to her collection of monetary gain, Iselas withdrew from the gnome's body just in time to see the approaching City Watch. The constable that walked up to her was met with a friendly smile as she relaxed her body posture, attempting to appear as unsuspious as possible.

"Of course, sir." Iselas agreed before hurriedly continuing on. "I wasn't there when it happened, however, I was in the tavern and came running out when the explosion sounded."

 

[ArcticFox]

The constable nods at your words, then walks over to the taller of two commanders. After briefly exchanging words with him, and as other witnesses are rounded up, the man with the notebook approaches you.

"Good day, ma'am." He nods. "I'm Sergeant Saeth Cromley, I'll ask you some questions briefly." Without further ado he asks you the following questions:

Were you near the scene when this happened?
Did you know any victim?
Do you know someone that would do something like this?
Have you noticed anything unusual before the incident?

- Answer truthfully.
- Lie.
- Don't answer.

 

[Yokai]

Answer truthfully.
​

"Pleasure to meet you," Iselas hummed as the second and smaller commander approached. Carefully she weighed her response to the man's questions, genuinely considering how to properly respond in a way that wouldn't implicate her. It seemed that being truthful was, for once, the best option to take.

Were you near the scene when this happened?
"Eh, I was relatively close? I was in that tavern," Iselas pointed to said tavern down the street. "When the explosion sounded."

Did you know any victim?
"Nope."

Do you know someone that would do something like this?
"Nope."

Have you noticed anything unusual before the incident?
"Nope."

 

[ArcticFox]

The commander that inspected the bodies turns around when you answer the questions. He pushes his spectacles up the bridge of his nose and walks over to you, slightly hobbling.

"Good day." He says with a brief nod, not introducing himself. "You say you were in that tavern over there?" He gestures at your place. "As a patron or the owner?"

- Truth.
- Lie.
- Evade.

 

[Yokai]

Evade.
​

Blue eyes squinted at the newcomer with a vague sense of distrust, blonde head tilted marginally to the side. His question made her suspicious as she was unsure as to what difference it made; her being a patron or an owner. Surely he was only asking because he wanted something from the owner? And she didn't trust anything that he could want from her.

"I may or may not be an owner," Iselas summarised after a brief pause, brow furrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "But I am not the owner." Technically it was true; there were three owners and Iselas wasn't the only one.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Is that so?" The look behind his glasses is unreadable, when he points to where Regongar and Amiri stand, answering questions of their own. "Let's ask your friends." He says, then beckons over the constables that stand with Regongar and Amiri.

Both of them give you accusatory glances that clearly say: what have you gotten us into this time? But neither voices their concerns yet.

"Do either of you own the Trollskull tavern?" The bespectacled man asks.

"Why?" Regongar squints.

"Will any one of you answer a simple question?" The man sighs, then turns to his colleague. "Sergeant, lock them up for the night for obstructing justice. Perhaps they will be more cooperative in the morning."

"Hey, you can't do that!" Regongar complains, while Amiri fidgets nervously.

"Yes, I can. The Watchful Order is the law in Waterdeep and you should do well to remember it." He says, turning to leave.

- Admit you are the owners.
- Admit that you are the sole owner.
- Argue.
- Stay silent.

 

[Yokai]

Admit that you are the sole owner.
​

"And would 'the Law of Waterdeep' like to explain why he wants to know about my tavern?" Iselas interjected swiftly, pulling the attention off of her two companions. If one of them was going to take the sole responsibility and burden of being associated as the owner it might as well be her. She moved then, wedging her body protectively between the annoying man and Regongar and Amiri. As if she could hide them from view. "Are 'the Law of Waterdeep' going to help in paying for those broken windows too?"

 

[ArcticFox]

The bespectacled man turns toward you again, his expression still cryptic. He motions at the constables and they clear the witnesses out of proximity, leaving you alone on the street, or at least with no one very close by.

"The dead gnome was running toward your tavern." He says to you, ignoring your companions. "Did you know him?"

- Answer.

 

[Yokai]

Answer.
​

Genuine surprise flickered across the half-elf's face, replacing the earlier derision that had been directed towards the bespectacled man. Blue eyes glanced over to the gnome, drawn there instinctively as she attempted to discern whether she recognised him at all; only to come to the same original conclusion.

"I honestly don't know him," Iselas confirmed, confused as to why an unfamiliar gnome would attempt to seek safe harbour in their tavern. "I don't even know if he's ever been in my tavern before." She'd have to ask the others if they recognised him.

 

[ArcticFox]

Both of the men in charge of the investigation look you over, then regard your companions. It's obvious that they have no evidence against you, only possibilities. The Watch has a respectable reputation in Waterdeep, despite everything, and it doesn't prosecute someone without proper evidence.

"You are free to go. All three of you." The man of the Watchful Order says, but then adds. "For now."

- Ask him about the gnome (roll d20 for charisma check).
- Wait for the Watch to leave and ask around on your own.
- Go home.
- Something else.

 

[Yokai]

Ask him about the gnome (rolled 5).
​

The strange omnity in the man's voice did not go amiss with the self-proclaimed tavern owner but Iselas' curiosity was piqued now. She wanted to know more about this gnome. She wanted to know why he'd thought to take refuge her home and why he was targeted in the first place. And why he had been carrying a pouch of valuable jewels. Unfortunately that meant trying to charm the same man who'd essentially just threatened her. Fortunately, she wasn't too prideful of a creature to not try her luck.

"Thanks," Iselas said, brushing off his comment with practiced ease. "But, do you have any idea on who this gnome is or what he was doing here? Or, even why he was attacked?" She asked. "Any information could help and I'll be able to ask around. Owning a tavern does mean that I'm exposed to a lot of people."