Matricide, Ambush, and Mistakes

On By ravonlockeIn Journal, QuillLeave a comment

Spy Master,

I don’t know if I’m ever going to send you any of these letters. Even with the blizzard, Red seems possessed with the need for this stone. I’m going to have to edit it down into a single report, I think, and I am worried the outcome is not what we would want.

Down toward the dock this time, and Red bribes some folk to get us pointed further towards the water. I made friends with some kids at the dock by having a snowball fight. They’re really nice kids, but they shouldn’t have been out that late. It’s too dangerous to throw things at passersby. But they were smart kids, told us where the man went. Mr. Fuoco they called him. Went to his Mom’s house, they said. Used to play music for them.

Red’s tired of sneaking around, so he just unlocks the front door for us to all head in. Orange decided to check out the roof, though, and he fell through. We all rush upstairs to find a terrified old lady. Her son, Mr. Fuoco, has hidden in her armoire after trying to kill her. What a horrible thing to do!

We drag him to the other room while Catbard tries to calm the lady down. Red strips the man of all his possessions, and his clothes and starts threatening him further for information. He says the lady he was with was the one who got the package, that she has a shop in the Castle Ward called the Yellow Spire. We don’t want to leave him with his mother, who he just tried to kill, so he agrees to go back out in the blizzard with us. I don’t like him, and Page thinks there’s someone outside waiting.

She’s right. Just a few steps out the door and we’re ambushed by false Zhentarim. Their tattoos are all strange, but I don’t tell anybody. They all get dead, including Mr. Fuoco because he tried to run, and then he tried to kill one of the children. But Nevi and the Big Guy save the kid while I take care of Mr. Fuoco. Everyone is tired after that, so we take a break at the Angry Cockswain before heading north.

Then we’re on the move again, charging north to the Castle Ward and The Yellow Spire. Red disarms a trap and unlocks the front door for us, but then, he and Page climb up some scaffolding to see who is at the top. We’re supposed to go in and meet in the middle. We give them a moment to climb, and then head in. Unfortunately, Nevi sets off an explosion almost immediately, and we end up fighting, and killing most of the ladies in the tower. Except one, and there’s a man chained upstairs, too. And Red finds a piece of the STONE in a chest there!!!

Oh Spy Master, I really don’t think you’re going to like my report if we ever make it home.

~QS

Tracking the Stone

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Spy Master,

The Butcher’s Guild gave up Justin’s address quickly when we asked with the authority of the Grey Hand. When we got there, he was inside and quickly gave up that the Zhentarim pays him to deliver bodies to Thrackus. He said he took the package to Cuddles Meat Pies, but he didn’t know what it was.

Over at the Meat Pie shop, we got attacked by well-dressed Bugbears. The one we left alive recognized Red and started apologizing immediately. Xanathar’s folk had sent them to rescue Otto, but he didn’t know about the stone. Red said we’d take care of it, but then the survivor started to laugh at Orange, and Orange killed him. So much killing, I don’t like it.

Red and Mary head into the building the Bugbears had been heading for while we all wait outside. After a couple gunshots, and Otto running out of the building, Red took off over the roofs of town, and Mary came down to say the stone was on the move. We tried to follow, but only Orange can leap like Red. I got really scared then, what if Red got the stone? What then?!

But the lady with the stone got away, and into a theatre. I stayed outside while Page went in to investigate. I hoped to catch her running away again. Maybe get the stone myself and disappear into the blizzard. It was a really long time before anything happened. She did come running out though, and I did get to chase her, but Page was keeping up pretty well. I had to make sure Red didn’t catch her. We rounded a corner and I changed to look like her, hoping to see where she went and follow her after I took everyone else off track, but she disappeared again. Page hurt me accidentally, but I got away, and no one knows what I did.

We all went back to the theatre, and Page got another lead. The stone was passed to another person who hangs out at the Docks of Mistshore. I really just want to go home, it’s so cold. But on we chase. Red really wants that stone.

~QS

Butcher or Body Disposal

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Spy Master,

We got a tip about the murderous Nimblewright, but we found more than we bargained for. A butcher up in the Field Ward, Thrackus, and a whole pile of bodies.

Catbard got a note about the Nimblewright and we went to look. A dragonborn snuck out while people were inside, so I tried to follow him, but the blizzard, Spy Master. I lost him. The others found a bunch of dead bodies in the shop. No one we knew. The Big Guy’s nose is amazing though, he tracked the butcher in a blizzard!

He tried to attack us, but we’re better than that, and knocked him out. Took him to the guards. We wanted them to come see the dead bodies before someone moves them, but they won’t go out in the storm. So we headed back inside to make him confess.

Red is very convincing, and upset him real bad and he admitted everything! He said he didn’t kill those people, that the Zhentarim sent them to be disposed of. Same with the Nimblewright. It had the Stone! And Justin, a Zhent lackey from the Butcher’s Guild, was supposed to deliver it somewhere. Thrackus was just to getting rid of the body.

We’re looking for Justin, now. I hope he’s already delivered it and we can’t find him. If he still has it, I’ll try and get it. I know it’s important, Spy Master.

~QS

Gloop Monsters and Meenlocks

On By ravonlockeIn Journal, Quill1 Comment

Spy Master,

Xanathar gets his mine back. Well, if they convince anyone to go back there. The ghosts are probably still hanging around. But we cleared out the mine. The whole town was full of ghosts who kept showing us dead people, or people dying. Red got real mad at the ghosts, I wonder what they showed him.

There were gloopy monsters that kept splitting when we hit them. Nevi said they were puddings, but they didn’t taste good. Must have gotten left out too long. Then there were bad faeries from the shadows. Nevi said they’re mean locks. Like warlocks or something? But he said it’s spelled Meenlock. They were very mean though. They killed everyone in the town, or they were everyone from the town? I’m not sure, but one had the mayor’s signet ring, so maybe both? They’re gone now though. We took care of them.

We took some stuff from the town and the mine, though. Red divided up the spoils, so I included some of that for you. Is this how it’s supposed to work? Are things okay for everyone now? Winter seems pretty quiet in the city.

~QS

Rats, Bats, Wolves, and Ghosts

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Spy Master,

Red says I’m supposed to give you money whenever I do big jobs. I don’t understand, but you always take care of me, so it makes sense to pay you back. I helped the Big Guy with a job, but I don’t think we got paid for that. There were some wererats bothering some of the city guard at their tavern in the field ward, so Orange yelled at them to go away. Orange can be real scary, so they stayed away after that.

Red has a new job for us. He says that Xanathar used to have a platinum mine up north, but it went dry, or quiet, or something. Wants Red to go up, clear it out, and reclaim it for him. Red heard that there was an explosion in the mine, and missing villagers. Something about a creeping darkness. It’s a long trip, but everybody agrees to go along. Winter in Waterdeep is boring.

~QS

Journal Notes

Thomas and his family are really nice. They took us up the river.

Nevi seems to like the Serafin druid person. They talk about how to get to Maren.

Some dire wolves got hungry, but we scared them away with lots of fire.

We stayed at a place called the Bored Weasel. Lucas used to live near the mine. He lost his wife there. He says Astrovorn might give us good directions or a map. Asks us to put flowers on his wife’s grave for him. Astrovorn sells those, too. Says there’s a pendant in the tree by the mayor’s house that we can have if we do this for him.

Astrovorn has a really pretty shop for the middle of winter. I wanted to buy flowers but everyone was in a hurry.

I don’t like mountain blizzards, but made it to Vermillion.

We found some shiny stuff at the blacksmith and wand shop. When we found the cemetery, the Big Guy held a full on funeral for Lucas’ wife. After, we found an old cart in the road beyond, with a dead horse. They say its dead a year ago, but then get all paranoid about where the body is and how many they were. Doesn’t matter, they’re dead. Everyone here is dead.

Most of the buildings are empty, so we go check the Mayor’s house. It’s the biggest one. It’s all dusty, but not ransacked or anything.

Then I saw Basher in a spoon! He wasn’t there, but I saw him! I couldn’t use my words to explain, it was too scary. He went away, but I kept that spoon and kept looking. Other people started seeing people who weren’t there, too. Red started shouting about ghosts messing with everyone. We stole a bunch of things from the ghosts. There were lots of good books in the library. I don’t think ghosts can read.

Then they all want to go look at the mine. It’s late, I just want to sleep. Not here, though, somewhere without the ghosts. Found a room full of bats. Bats are bitey when they get woken up.