Fantasy Dragon Heist (Completed)

[Yokai]

Answer.​

The trek up the mountainside was brutal in its ascent and Iselas was not surprised when she had to make several breaks -- otherwise she figured she'd simply keel over and die. It was during one of these breaks, where she'd hunched over with her hands braced on her knees, breath coming out in puffs of condensation, when she spotted the cave. It was tucked away from sight and Iselas figured herself lucky that she'd spotted it in the first place, especially when she ventured over to discover the very person she'd been looking for.

Or, at least she assumed that this man was Hlam. How many other old men were there wandering the mountainside?

"My name is Iselas," She began with a bright smile, undoubtedly flushed and disheveled from the climb. A little physical exertion wouldn't stop her from trying her best at making a good first impression. "Varja the Blackstaff sent me, I'm looking for a man called Hlam?" Fingers were crossed behind her back as she hoped that she'd found the right person.

 

[ArcticFox]

His eyes scan you slowly as he considers your words. Then he lets out a sigh, shaking his head.

"I am not getting involved with Blackstaff and her schemes. Waterdeep does not interest me. As far as I'm concerned Xanathar and Zentharim can tear it apart, as they probably will."

He pokes at he fire with a twig, not looking in your direction at all.

- Persuade him (roll d20, modifier 5).
- Threaten him (roll d20, modifier 3).
- Manipulate him (roll d20, modifier 3).
- Ask a question.
- Leave.

 

[Yokai]

Ask a question.​

That sentiment sounded an awful lot like defeat and Iselas found herself frowning minutely. After dusting off the small collection of snow that clung to her cloak she stepped inside the cave, drifting over to warm her hands by the flames. She didn't want to be too presumptuous and join the old man in sitting. Rather, she wanted to persuade him otherwise, to convince him that Waterdeep was worth the trouble and heartbreak, but firstly she needed some questions answered.

"What did you mean by that?" She asked once the feeling had returned to her fingertips. Her expression was slightly befuddled and she had tilted her head to the side in question, eyes focused on the sparks that danced above the flames. "Why will Xanathar and Zentharim tear Waterdeep apart?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"You must be new here." The old man responds, not looking at you still. "Did you not see what is happening on the streets? It's been this way for years. Someone lets out a rumour of treasure and suddenly everyone is ready to murder in order to get it. I'm too old and too soft for it and Blackstaff is too, even if she doesn't want to admit it." He pauses. "Climb down, go back to Blackstaff, I am not in the business of rumours any longer."

- Persuade him (roll d20, modifier 5).
- Threaten him (roll d20, modifier 3).
- Manipulate him (roll d20, modifier 3).
- Ask a question.
- Leave.

 

[Yokai]

Persuade him (rolled 7).
​

"Oh, I don't know about that," Iselas replied quietly. "You've survived alone on a mountain for years, I don't think you could be soft if you tried." She offered the man a tentative smile and ventured a little closer to the fire, hands now thoroughly warmed.

"People will always find something to fight and kill over, whether that's gold, food, or freedom. The best that you can do is deal with what's happening and attempt to improve the situation," She shrugged a shoulder. "Wars and fighting don't last forever, y'know? You just have to decide whether it's worth it."

 

[ArcticFox]

"Are you just humouring an old man?" He looks up at you for a moment, then smiles. "Well, it is working." He puts down the poking stick and crosses his hands on his lap, before closing his eyes, as if concentrating. "I have one last message for Blackstaff: Evil's twin hides its face for now. Expect that to change before fall's end."

It made no sense to you, but it seemed to make sense to Varja when you relay the words. She rounds her desk and then sits at the edge of it, a finger tapping on her lower lip in thought. Then, without revealing anything to you, she nods and smiles.

"Good work, recruit. We will make a Grey Hand out of you yet. I'll call for you again."

As a reward you also get thirty gold pieces, which is quite a sum for your current state, and a potion of restoration. The next few days you spend:

- Walking around Trollskull Alley.
- Hanging out with Regongar.
- Hanging out with Amiri.
- Hanging out with Liv.
- Visiting Volo and Floon.
- Visiting Renaer.
- Buying stuff and restoring the tavern.
- Drinking and partying.
- Something else.

 

[Yokai]

Buying stuff and restoring the tavern.​

Pleased by the success of her first recruitment mission Iselas was quick to set her mind on another task. The revival of the tavern was a point of excitement in her life and, as someone who'd never had a home before, Iselas was determined to make the Trollskull estate beautiful again. Which was why she spent the majority of her time buying supplies and furniture, putting her money aside in favour of breathing life back into the tavern.

 

[ArcticFox]

After some exploration you manage to find a little shop in your neighbourhood to suit your purpose.

A small wooden sign above this shop's main door is bare except for a large, bent nail sticking out of it. The front room contains displays of ornate wooden furniture, as well as a selection of bows and crossbows. The wall behind the counter is lined with rows of finely carved wooden canes, quarterstaffs, and shields. But, what is the most important is that you see handmade wooden furniture laying about.

"Welcome to the Bent Nail!" The owner greets you as you enter. He's a middle-aged looking half-elf with a cheerful grin on his face and an overall positive demeanour. "My name is Tally. How can I help you?"

Upon consulting his wares, you see that it will take you five hundred gold pieces to restore your tavern fully and that is without the staff and supplies. Considering that Regongar and Amiri co-own the tavern, they could be persuaded to help with the money too, but either way you are still far off from the goal.

- Spend all of your funds and buy what you can.
- Spend some funds and buy what you can.
- Don't spend anything yet and save it for later.

 

[Yokai]

Spend some funds and buy what you can.
​

"Nice to meet you, Tally." Iselas returned with a slightly less enthusiastic smile. Buying things with her hard-earned, only sometimes stolen, gold sucked and it was hard not to falter. There was always a whisper of caution that kept her from flying too close to the sun; lest her wings melt and she'd fall into the sea of poverty. Dramatic but an accurate representation of Iselas' mindset.

So, spending a little over half her funds would do nicely for now. Amiri was in charge of the garden, but Regongar was going to help pay for this venture if he wanted those barmaids. For now they needed the basics of chairs and tables, barstools and decor would be a greater concern to her later. A tavern wasn't built in a day.

 

[ArcticFox]

With your fifty gold set toward the cause, you are able to get Tally to make you half a dozen tables and chairs as well as barstools. You can expand on the amount of chairs later, but for now, to get the tavern open you will need to fix up the counter, repaint the walls, do a bit of redecorating and hire the staff. You are still a long way from your goal, but a job or two with Blackstaff and the help from your co-owners could get you there.

You continue waiting for the next task, while:

- Walking around Trollskull Alley.
- Hanging out with Regongar.
- Hanging out with Amiri.
- Hanging out with Liv.
- Visiting Volo and Floon.
- Visiting Renaer.
- Drinking and partying.
- Something else.

 

[Yokai]

Hanging out with Regongar.
​

There was still an overwhelming amount of work to do on the tavern but for now Iselas felt satisified. After all, this was just the beginning. Since the majority of her time was spent reviving the tavern, or eventually completely would-be missions, Iselas decided to use her downtime to catch up with her companions.

In this case, it was more specifically Regongar.

Not just because he tended to be the more talkative of the two, but primarily because the last time they'd properly spoken he'd been recruited by the Zantharim. What Iselas really wanted to know was whether he'd ended up going for the job. Now, if she could also just sneak up on him and give him a little spook... that'd be the best present to herself, really.

 

[ArcticFox]

You find Regongar in your tavern's taproom, sitting at the counter with a flask of some liquor he acquired who knows where. You try sneaking up on him, but Lif announces your presence rather loudly, as a knife flies toward you, but then stops right in front of your face. Regongar turns to follow the trajectory of the knife, then snorts.

"Our friendly ghost here is not yet used to visitors. Don't feel bad about it, he has tried killing me too."

A notebook floats up to you then, with the words: Sorry, thought you were someone else, written.

- Talk to Regongar.
- Talk to Lif.

 

[Yokai]

Talk to Lif.​

"Aww, it's alright, Lif," Iselas sighed, brushing off the near assassination with a disappointed pout at her own failure. "You probably saved me from being electrocuted anyway." Which was true; she had never said it was a good plan, after all. Just that she really wanted to try and spook the normally unruffled sorcerer. Regongar was far too casual all the time, it kind of made her want to get under his skin.

"Wait," Iselas frowned, nose scrunched up as she slipped into the seat beside the half-orc. Blue eyes were turned onto the notebook. "Who did you think I was? Has... has someone been bothering you?" A suspicious stare was thrown over her shoulder, eyeing up the doorway she'd just crept through only moments ago.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Yeah, the Zenths came to check the place out." Regongar says like it is the most normal thing in the world.

Don't like them, Lif writes down.

- Question Regongar.
- Change the subject.

 

[Yokai]

Question Regongar.​

Slender fingers dug into the edge of the counter, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up in attention. There was something about the idea of strangers in her home that made her extremely uncomfortable. Immediately she was thankful for Lif's more aggressive approach.

"The... Zentharim came into our house?" Iselas repeated, hoping that he'd realise how bad that sounded. "Why?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"Don't get your panties in a twist." Regongar laughs. "I have to look trustworthy if I want to get in deeper into the organisation, right? They wanted to check out the place, so I brought them over for drinks. Besides, my current boss is the half-orc brawler you've helped in the Portal. You were eager to help her out them, why would she be so bad now?" He shrugs. Then he points to the side and only then you notice three large barrels that weren't there that morning. "Look, they brought good homemade mead. It should sell well once we get this shack up and running."

- Ask him something further.
- Drop the subject.

 

[Yokai]

Ask him something further.​

Iselas muttered something quiet under her breath, something that sounded an awful lot like 'how do you know I'm wearing any?' before she settled down at his explanation. Honestly speaking, she couldn't even remember why they'd jumped in to help with that bar fight. Her memory tended to get a bit blurry at times; especially when she acted impulsively or had deemed the memory to be unimportant.

"Alright," Iselas huffed, leaning over to scrutinize the three barrels of mead. "I'll trust your judgement on this one." And just like that it was brushed off, her attention diverted onto something else the half-orc had said.

"Wait! Does that mean you're in then?" She asked with a grin, visibly excited for him despite her earlier skepticism. "Or at least going through the recruitment process?"

 

[ArcticFox]

"Of course." Regongar nods. "How could you doubt me?" He places a hand on his chest with a wounded expression. Then grins and continues drinking. "The half-orc, Yagra, got me in immediately, you know, racial camaraderie and stuff." He rolls his eyes. "I'm due my first mission tomorrow, I'll keep you updated, don't worry."

Whatever you were about to respond is interrupted by a wrapped package that floats in through the opened window and right in front of your face. Inside is a message from Blackstaff and the details of your next task, as well as two vials of blue liquid.

"A young bronze dragon has taken up residence in Deepwater Harbour. It startled a few sailors recently but hasn't hurt anyone. Confront the dragon and learn its intentions. Enclosed are the potions of water breathing."

- Go alone.
- Ask Regongar to help you.
- Go later.

 

[Yokai]

Ask Regongar to help you.
​

Iselas' response died on her tongue at the appearance of the floating parcel; not as surprising as it would have been had she not lived with a poltergeist. The wrappings were carefully pulled back to reveal two vials of a mysterious blue substance that she did not recognise -- something that prompted her to defer to the note. Immediately her eyebrows were pulled skyward in surprise.

"Huh," Iselas said, casually re-reading the note as if to check its legitimacy. "It's a real shame that Amiri isn't here, I'm sure she'd love to meet a dragon." And by meet Iselas meant she'd like to introduce her sword to one. Actually, maybe it was a good thing that she wasn't here.

"Do you want to tag along?" She asked Regongar, tucking the note away in her cloak pocket alongside the two water breathing potions.

 

[ArcticFox]

"You want me to go underwater in search of a monster that may eat me the moment it sees me?" Regongar looks at you in disbelief. "But then again, dragons are known gold hoarders." He thinks for a moment, then nods. "Alright, I'll go with you. But you better hope there's some gold to be found."

--

The two of you trek to the Harbour quickly, with Regongar stopping by the Yawning Portal to meet with Yagra for a brief moment. He doesn't tell you what the meeting is about, but he urges you to hurry as he has more important stuff to take care of later that day.

The Harbour is brimming with people and you see at least a dozen ships docked in the bay. There is a two story building on your right which looks like the Harbourmaster's office and a couple of food and drink stands are scattered about. The water looks calm enough and you have no idea where to start in about finding the underwater dragon.

- Ask the sailors about the dragon.
- Ask the vendors.
- Ask the harbourmaster.
- Dive into the water.

 

[Yokai]

Ask the sailors about the dragon.​

The Harbour was a bustling and lively place to Iselas' genuine surprise. She'd almost begun to expect the worst from Waterdeep; which was an unfair assumption to make. But one based on their overall experience. Crowds of people cluttered this new area as they arrived, however, their domesticity offering a comforting sight to the half-elf and a clear testament to how quiet this dragon must be.

"The note mentioned some startled sailors," Iselas piped up after a moment of glancing over the faces of passerbys. "Shall we see if they're willing to talk to us about it?" A bright grin was flashed in Regongar's direction before she turned to move through the crowd towards the docked boats. Though she kept her gold closer to her body in fear of pickpockets.

 

[ArcticFox]

You find a group of sailors unloading the ship that just got into the harbour. You can see the name of the ship, Sea Horse, written on the side of the hull. The sailors are a busy bunch and it takes a lot of time for you to find someone willing to set aside the crates to speak with you.

"A dragon, ey?" The sailor, a rough looking dwarven fellow with scraggly brown beard and beady eyes, finally looks up to answer your question. "Yea, there's a dragon down there alright. Kicked at our ship good when we docked. Almost turned us over." He points beyond the docked ships to a small buoy with a reg flag propped on it. "That's where he's swimmin', we plopped it down so we can avoid it."

- Drink the potion and dive at the buoy.
- Go check it out first.
- Leave.

 

[Yokai]

Go check it out first.​

"Excellent. Thank you for your time, sir." Iselas thanked the Dwarven man as she turned to lead her companion away from the docked Sea Horse. She wandered to the end of the pier and squinted out at the buoy they'd been directed towards. It didn't look too far to swim and Iselas had resolved herself to check it out first. They'd only been given two vials of the water breathing potion after all, and the note hadn't indicated how long the effect would last for. She really didn't want to mess this up.

"Alright let's swim out there and check it out first?" She prodded Regongar's ribs with her elbow.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Yeah, let's go." Regongar says, then looks down at his clothes. "Good thing I'm not wearing anything fancy."

The buoy is set up some two hundred meters from the pier and you swim to it with ease, feeling a slight tug downward as you clothes get soaked. Regongar swims alongside you and stops to examine the red flag, which is really just a rag tied around a wooden pole. You feel the waves stir beneath you here more prominently than close to the shore. At least the boats don't seem to venture your way, so you are not at a risk of being ran over.

"Nowhere to go but down." Your companions says with a shrug.

- Drink the potions and dive.
- Just dive.

 

[Yokai]

Drink the potions and dive.
​

There was something extremely intimidating about floating above a possible underwater dragon lair. Iselas stared down into the murky gloom, chin tucked against her chest and heart in her throat. She tried to decide whether to dive down first, just to make sure that the dragon was actually there, or to just drink the potion and be done with it. Despite her earlier reservations she was beginning to lean towards the latter. She didn't want to be underwater for any longer than was strictly necessary.

"Might as well take the chance, huh?" Iselas said, looking back to her companion with a tentative frown. She carefully withdrew the two potions -- being very cautious as she definitely didn't want to drop them -- and handed one to the half-orc. "Bottoms up, Reggie." Figuring that this took effect instantly Iselas was prepared to dive as soon as she'd finished swallowing the brew.