Fantasy Dragon Heist (Completed)

[Yokai]

Examine the displays.​

Pain erupted from Iselas' chest, the impact of the metallic bird leaving it shattered across the ground and her completely winded. Instinctively she leaned into Regongar's support, muttering something breathless and surprised under shallow breaths. Still, once she'd managed to regain her balance she followed him inside, her fingers massaging the bruise that would undoubtedly blossom across her skin.

Once they're inside the temple blue eyes flickered over the various displays, her gaze curious and probing. She noticed the priestess watching them and inclined her head slightly in respect, unwilling to approach her just yet. Iselas instead turned her gaze to the glass displays, casting a more critical glance over the inventions that they housed. She needed a few moments to organise her thoughts into questions; how was she supposed to ask about the attack without seeming accusatory?

 

[ArcticFox]

The priestess doesn't stop looking in your direction as you move around the glass displays to check out the inventions. The acolytes move about without paying you much attention. Before you can check out every display, the dragonborn priestess comes up to you.

"Hello." She says with something that could be a smile, you never know with dragonborn. "I haven't seen you around before. Are you new?"

- Ask about the automatons.
- Tell about the attack.
- Ask about the inventions.

 

[Yokai]

Tell about the attack.​

Wide, cerulean eyes flickered up from the display to appraise the priestess, genuinely surprised to find that she'd approached out of her own volition. Unfortunately, Iselas' momentary diversion of gazing into glass cases hadn't helped to clear her mind, and for a second she scrambled to find an angle on how to approach the situation. Lying to a priestess would be wrong and they were supposed to be helpful, right?

"Hello," Iselas greeted, mustering up a friendly smile as she straightened up. "This is my first time at the temple, yes. I just thought that I should come and check out the automatons," She revealed carefully, attempting to choose her words in a manner that wouldn't seem... suspicious. "There was an attack on a civilian street recently where a fireball resulted in a number of causalities. The attacker supposedly looked like an automaton. Are you missing any or know where we might find a rogue automaton?" Iselas hadn't intended for her greeting to sound so much like an interrogation and she offered an apologetic, hopefully sympathetic, smile.

 

[ArcticFox]

The priestess gives you a surprised look, "Well, we only have the one. Not an automaton, a nimblewright. Fully conscious." She says proudly, glancing up the staircase the leads to the upper floor. "Nim. He wouldn't hurt a fly, but I can take you to him if you'd like." She offers.

- Go to see Nim.
- Ask something else.

 

[Yokai]

Go to see Nim.
​

"That'd be really helpful, thank you." Iselas agreed, smile growing more genuine as she turned to follow her up the staircase. It was unclear whether the priestess was lying to her, or whether she was leading Iselas into a trap. Still, it wasn't like she had any other leads to follow at the current moment and they'd already come this far. Hopefully this Nim would be able to provide them with some answers.

 

[ArcticFox]

"I'm sure Nim didn't do anything wrong." The priestess says, then adds in a gentle tone. "I'm Valetta."

As you two introduce yourselves, the priestess leads you up four sets of staircases and both of you are panting by the time you reach the attic. Valetta stops in front of a small wooden door and scowls.

"That lock wasn't there before." She knocks on the door three times urgently. "Nim? Are you here?"

No one answers, but you've seen the figure on the rooftop just above this room.

- Persuade Nim to open (roll d20 for charisma check).
- Break down the door (roll d20 for strength check).
- Unlock the door with your thieves' tools (roll d20 for dexterity check).
- Have Regongar break down the door.
- Ask Valetta about Nim.

 

[Yokai]

Unlock the door with your thieves' tools (rolled 14).
​

It took a few moments for Iselas to catch her breath; her stamina and endurance having never matched up with her dexterity and speed. Once she'd managed to wrangle her breathing under control or at least stopped gasping for air, even she could see that Nim wouldn't be opening the door anytime soon. Briefly it crossed her mind that she could try to charm the not-automaton into opening the room -- saying something like 'I'm sure you totally didn't mean to punch me in the chest with that metal bird' -- but she was still feeling the sting of that attack. Instead Iselas withdrew her thieves' tools from her back pack and set to work on silently picking the lock.

 

[ArcticFox]

It takes a few moments to do it, and Regongar taps his foot impatiently, saying, "Let's just burst through." but Valetta gives him a cross look and he backs off.

Thankfully, that's when the lock clicks and you push the door open. On the other side, hidden among the clutter of cogs and beams and planks, you spot an automaton. Or a nimblewright, as Valetta had called it.

"Hello Nim." Valetta greets. "Why did you put a new lock on the door?"

Nim doesn't speak, instead gestures with his arms quickly in some kind of sign language and Valetta shakes her head with a sigh. She turns to you.

"He says he's sorry for hurting you." She frowns. "Why didn't you tell me you had a run in with Nim before?"

"Not a run in per se." Regongar says. "His little bird hit Iselas when we were coming up to the temple."

Nim gestures in a flurry of limbs then, while Valetta gives him a stern look.

"Well, that won't do, Nim. We spoke about your inventions already." The priestess cross her arms.

- Ask Nim about the attack.
- Ask him about his inventions.
- Ask Valetta about Nim.
- Ask something else.

 

[Yokai]

Ask him about his inventions.
​

"I will heal." Iselas shrugged one lazy shoulder and pretended like the attack via metal bird hadn't harmed her. Simply speaking, it was easier to brush off the topic than to dwell upon it. Still, now that she was looking at Nim, she couldn't help but be reminded of the attack on her street. Valetta had mentioned that he wouldn't harm a fly -- he'd already proven that wrong within the first few minutes of Iselas stepping on temple grounds. But she had to be sure.

"Inventions?" Iselas questioned instead, hoping to garner some knowledge about Nim and his personality. "What kind of things do you invent? Weapons?"

 

[ArcticFox]

Nim gestures and Valetta translates, "A lot of things. Friends." She gives a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Nim, I know it must be lonely being the only one of your kind here." You see Nim's metallic head wince at that comment and he looks away.

- Ask about his friends.
- Ask about other nimblewrights.
- Ask about the attack.
- Ask something else.

 

[Yokai]

Ask about other nimblewrights.​

Iselas' attention switched to Valetta as she interpreted the other's sign language into something the half-elf understood. A pang of sympathy followed the realisation that, if this were true and Nim was innocent, then he really was just a lonely nimblewright making friends for himself out of machinery and metal.

"Friends?" Iselas prompted, a little hesitantly though she made sure to speak to Nim directly. Even if Valetta was translating it was clear that he was sentient and able to understand her. "Is there really nobody else like you?" That would make it a lot more difficult to clear Nim's name.

 

[ArcticFox]

Nim shifts on his feet, making a metallic scraping sound. His lidless eyes move from you to Valetta and then back to you.

"Nim, it's okay, you can say what's on your mind." Valetta encourages him.

Nim starts gesturing then, slowly and deliberately and you can see the priestess's eyes widen. After a moment she turns to you.

"Nim created a nimblewright some time ago, to be his friend, but it was confused and it escaped." Her mouth stretches into a thin line and she turns toward Nim. "I'm sorry, Nim, but this is not good at all. You should have told me. You know I would have helped you. Unfortunately, I have no choice but to forbid you to work on any more inventions for the time being."

For someone without any facial expressions, Nim looks very shaken by the news.

Valetta looks away and walks out of the attic, calling for the acolytes to come up and clear out Nim's room. The nimblewright stands aside and watches the young priests as they take his inventions away. He doesn't move to stop them.

- Search Nim's attic.
- Observe as it's cleared away.
- Try to stop them.
- Ask Nim something else.

 

[Yokai]

Search Nim's attic.
​

That initial pang of sympathy grew into an angry burn that stretched out beneath the developing bruise on Iselas' chest. It felt a lot like guilt. She attempted to push it aside -- he had possibly created the very thing which attacked those people in the first place. And yet, it made no sense for a newly created, confused and frightened nimblewright to purposefully target someone.

"There was an attack," Iselas explained softly to Nim as she drifted around the room, glancing over his inventions and creations for some sort of clue. "The attacker was described as looking like an automaton. Do you think that could be your rogue friend? Do you have anything here that could help us find the culprit?" She asked, half speaking to herself as she searched the attic.

 

[ArcticFox]

The nimblewright just shrugs, numbly watching his things being taken away. As you join the search through the attic, you see that most of the stuff are cogs and screws and various unfinished little machines, some humanoid, some not. You don't find anything that resembles another nimblewright that Nim could be hiding there, but among the clutter of crates and boxes you spot a strange looking contraption.

Regongar notices it as well and picks it up.

"What's this?" He asks Nim.

"Nim?" Valette gives the niblewright a stern look. He gestures slowly and she translates. "A tracker. Nim says he made it to track down the escaped... friend."

After a couple of moments, Nim finally explains how the contraption works. To active it, one must hold down its trigger. The umbrella on the detector will begin to spin and click as soon as it comes within 500 feet from a nimblewright. The closer you get, the faster the umbrella spins It would be useful, yet it would also mean that you would have to search the entire town, district by district.

- Ask to take the tracker.
- Leave it.

 

[Yokai]

Ask to take the tracker.
​

"That's... actually really useful." Iselas commented, reaching over to take the device and turn it over in her hands with a contemplative expression. She honestly hadn't expected Nim to have a contingency plan in regards to the missing nimblewright. It was a pleasant surprise. Now, they just had to convince Nim and Valetta to let them take the device in search of the possible attacker. "Could we take this with us, please? We need to find this other nimblewright and see if they're our mysterious culprit."

 

[ArcticFox]

"You can take it." Valetta says right away. "If Nim's invention is responsible for the attack, that's not gonna look good for us. We are under enough scrutiny as it is." She shakes her head. "In fact, if you dispose of the rogue niblewright and bring the proof that it's gone, the Temple of Inspired Hands will be glad to offer some reimbursement for the trouble."

With that, Valetta focuses on cleaning up the attic, while Nim watches on.

You have a couple of ways of doing this. Either way, a ward-by-ward search is the best option, though it could take days to find the niblewright, providing its still in Waterdeep.

- Decide on how to it, who to do it with, and where to go first.

 

[Yokai]

Decide on how to do it, who to do it with, and where to go first.
​

"Of course, and thank you again for your help." Iselas bowed her head in respect, an uncommon sight for the half-elf as she tucked the tracking device away. A gentle nudge aimed at Regongar and she turned towards the stairs, prepared to depart the Temple and begin her planning phase.

The tracking device made things easier for them though it still boasted a large range. One that could get them lost or into trouble in the sprawling city of Waterdeep. Still, they didn't have much choice; they'd have to start with the Dock Ward, then the Southern Ward, and work their way upwards ward by ward. Perhaps she could also convince the others to keep an ear out for any mentions of automatons. For now she'd most likely ask Regongar to continue tagging along and maybe Meloon too, if Amiri was still preoccupied with the tavern.

 

[ArcticFox]

You get to tavern and lay your plans out. Unfortunately, before you can form your party, Regongar gets urgent summons to a Zentharim meeting. It seems that things are stirring among the Zenths as well. He excuses himself and wishes you the best of luck, warning you not to go poking around strange warehouses or disturb any major factions.

Meloon and Amiri are free to come with, though, so Lif stays to watch the tavern. Not like he ever leaves it anyway.

--

As soon as you approach the port, your detector starts whirring and spinning. Amiri and Meloon both give you odd looks.

There are several ships docked in the port, yet two of them have really catchy names: Heartbreaker and Hellraiser. Both of them sport rich gold and red flags and the figureheads on each ship are golden-painted and completely naked mermaids. Anchored in the harbour a little further from the docks yet still imposing in size, is a third ship with same colours, named: Eyecatcher.

The detector spins faster as you approach the two docked ships.

- Go aboard one of the ships and ask about the niblewright.
- Wait for the night and sneak inside.
- Look somewhere else.

 

[Yokai]

Go aboard one of the ships and ask about the niblewright.
​

"Hey, that's a good sign!" Came Iselas' excited gasp when the device suddenly whirled to life in front of her. She hadn't expected them to discover anything so soon into their search but this was already turning out to be promising!

Now they just had to figure out what ship the niblewright was residing, or hiding, upon. Scrunching up her nose briefly in thought, Iselas decided upon the Hellraiser -- it sounded like the more fun option out of the two, especially more than the Heartbreaker -- and she ascended aboard the ship. Blue eyes consistently checked the device, hoping to figure out which ship produced a better response.

 

[ArcticFox]

You are stopped as soon as climb aboard. Two burly human sailors give you suspicious looks, as they place their hands on the scimitars and ask.

"What business do you have here?"

The nimblewright detector spins faster in your hand and one of sailors looks at the device.

"What's that there?"

"We need to search the ship. You are harbouring a fugitive." Meloon answers in a calm, yet commanding tone.

"Oh, yeah? On whose orders?" The sailor snorts.

"Force Gray." Meloon answers, showing a broach on his cloak.

The sailors don't seem really convinced, yet they look at each other for a moment as if mulling over how important Force Gray is.

You notice Amiri looking around, her gaze wandering off toward a pair of scantily dressed women on deck. One of them notices her gaze and waves at her, giggling. Amiri flinches and looks away, blushing and scowling at the same time.

- Let Meloon handle it.
- Ask to speak to the captain.
- Ask to search the ship.
- Ask about the niblewrights.

 

[Yokai]

Ask to speak to the captain.
​

A fond smile tugged at the half-elf's lips, easily endeared by the blush that spread across Amiri's cheeks. She attempted to catch the barbarian's eye, levelling her with a playful but subtle wink that distinctly said that she'd caught her staring. Before she could risk Amiri's further embarrassment she turned to the two stationed sailors -- probably looking incredibly harmless when sandwiched between the two tanks of her companions.

"Please?" Iselas asked, softening her lips into a pout as she attempted to charm the two into giving her what she wanted. "Would we at least be able to speak to the captain? I'm sure this is all just a big misunderstanding, hmm?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"No." One of the crewmen flatly refuses, but the other looks uncertain. He looks around for a moment, then pulls his buddy aside. You wait until they converse and come up with a solution.

"We'll call the captain." The second crewman says finally. "He'll decide."

'Calling the captain' proves to be a simple method of communicating via sending spells, like you did with Blackstaff, except without letters. The crewmen describe you and your mates and the reason you are there and wait for the answer. When the sending spells returns, the voice from the other side speaks:

"Whoever's in charge of the group can come to the Eyecatcher. I'm just about to have lunch and I'm afraid that there's only enough to share with one more person."

"Let's get the Watch." Amiri says with a scowl.

"No, I'll contact Varja to help with their cooperation." Meloon suggests.

- Go and meet the captain.
- Listen to Amiri.
- Listen to Meloon.
- Something else.

 

[Yokai]

Go and meet the captain.
​

Amusement flooded the half-elf's features, blue eyes twinkling as she regarded the two sailors. The fact that the captain had bothered with the excuse of only having enough lunch to share with one other person... was kind of hilarious. Still, it didn't seem like her two companions shared that amusement.

"It'll be fine!" Iselas consoled them, patting Amiri's shoulder and Meloon's forearm -- his shoulder was too high up for her to reach without looking ridiculous. "We can't afford to waste time," Which was relatively close to the truth, though she was also pretty curious about their captain now. Besides, she'd be getting some free food. "Will you two be alright here while I'm gone?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"We won't touch them." The sailors assure you, but they look very impatient and it's clear that they want you gone from the ship.

"We certainly won't wait here." Meloon responds to that, gesturing at the docks. "We'll find a tavern and wait for you."

When all's said and done, the sailors lower you and one crew member in a dinghy to the water level and he rows you off to the imposing Eyecatcher.

--

The whirring of the detector has lessened when you were on the dinghy, but it quickened once you were let aboard he huge ship.

The crewmen here look no different than the ones on the previous ship, sporting the same colours and unfriendly glances, as you are led through a narrow hallway, toward the dining cabin.

The doors open to a room bedecked with golden filigree, the purple curtains festooned with silken tassels, the wood paneling scented with perfume. A magnificent feast laid out on golden platters sprawls atop a mahogany table of exquisite craftsmanship. Even the doilies are something to behold. Standing behind it all with wine glass in hand is a well-built, scantily clad man, his scarlet apparel designed to accentuate his trim figure. A flashy rapier hangs from his stylish belt.

"Welcome aboard the Eyecatcher," He says, flashing his pearly white teeth. "Zardoz Zord. At your service."

- Greet him.
- Be stunned.
- Ask about him.
- Ask about his ships.
- Ask about the nimblewright.
- Observe him carefully.

 

[Yokai]

Greet him; ask about the nimblewright.
​

Extravagance was the first word that came to mind when Iselas stepped through the dining room doors. It was more than a little overwhelming; flashes of gold, exquisite fabrics, flamboyant decorations, and the scent of perfume sitting heavy on the air. It made Iselas' fingers twitch and her chest tighten with the desire to take. A desire that didn't last long, in fact, almost all higher thought died the moment she laid eyes upon the captain.

Iselas paused, going very still, momentarily stunned as she blinked rapidly at the scantily clad man behind the table. And then slowly, like sunlight peeking over the tops of the trees, she grinned. Wide, sincere and bright.

"Oh! It is a peasure to meet you," Iselas returned, finding that she genuinely meant those words. "I'm Iselas, as you've probably already been told," She glanced over the feast laid out for Zardoz and wondered in what world this wasn't enough for more than two people. They'd have torn each other apart for food like this on the streets; she watched him a little more carefully. "I came to ask about a nimblewright."