The Mystery of Massacres and Mustaches (City of Splenders # 10)

Zloton,
 
The hovel in Mistshore is owned by Grinda, an older woman. Human skin wrinkles and human hair greys with age, so by the color of the hair in the bun, she’s probably in her early sixties.
 
She was not the most pleasant hosts, but as she said, "When you get tied up in a basement, you are not in the best mood
 
She is a fascinating wizard with a fascinating metal contraption floating in the enclosed waters beside her home. It looks like a metallic barrel with crab pincers for arms. It apparently can let a driver stay submerged in the ocean for a long time.
 
She uses it to look for ocean floor treasure from wars on the bay, like the War with an avatar of the shark god... that apparently happened. The Xanathar in the neighborhood wanted to use it for their own purposes. She refused so they kidnapped her in her own home and used the Apparatus of Kwalish, as it is apparently known, to kidnap people.
 
“Jenks” dealt with that, but a Xanathar lieutenant, a dwarf named Noska, apparently survived the Cloudkill.
 
Grinda had been in a chair tied up. We asked her who had tied her up. She said “Who tied you up?”
 
I helped her with cleaning up and Nettie gave her fried dough and a corn dog stick. Pete only had his stick left. Grinda put on tea as Nettie talked about her stage plans.
 
Talk eventually returned to the apparatus of Kwalish and Pete somehow managed to steal the key and get in it without anyone noticing. Grinda took it with annoyance, but less than one might expect.
 
We *did* rescue her after all.
 
Probably to get us out of her hair, more than anything else, she agreed to lend us the apparatus *once* in the near future.
 
Nettie was ecstatic.
 
We said we would take a “rain check.” I’m not sure what this human expression means, but clearly neither did Pete. He nodded very seriously, and said, “we will come back when it rains.”
 
 
Zloton,
 
After the whole debacle with Jenks, I called him into my kitchen. It was a mess of new utensils and old habits. We sat down in the corner, away from all the construction and nosy ears of contractors.
 
Since Jenks was desperate enough to wish to be a wizard, it seemed reasonable to offer to make him one the old fashion way. I would teach him cooking and magic, specifically prestidigitation of course, and he would in turn help in the kitchen. I tried to stress to him how hard it was. The focus required, the commitment to both the craft itself and to me. My warnings did not even form a ripple in that head of his. He just stared at me, a giddy grin plastered on his face that grew wider with every word I said.
 
“So you’re saying I can eat, do spells, and not take baths at the same time?”
 
Suffice to say, he was in.
 
Nettie finally moved in. I wasn't sure what was making her delay, but I'm glad she has. There are beds in the house now. Work men have been coming through daily. Tally was making Flynn’s bed, all while the noble son kept emphasizing that it needed to be “sturdy” and “big.” I ignored him when Embric came by with pots, and I happily talked his ear off about all the things I intended to do with them.
 
Pete talked all day about how patrols were 12 men strong now and how he was seeing less people on the street than usual. It worried him and Pete is not easily worried. I find it ominous.
 
Zloton,
 
I have news of a darker nature to report.
 
We were having breakfast when Renear came by. He said that he was going to have breakfast here because he told the man he intended to meet that we had the “best food in Waterdeep.”
 
He had yet to have my food at this point, but I appreciated the words. They stemmed from loyalty, after all.
 
I scrambled to scribble out an appropriate menu so that I would live up to it in the eyes of this soon to arrive guest. I had just decided whether or not I intended to sell sausages when I was interrupted.
 
There was a loud popping sound that Ristrien said sounded like a fireball spell going off. A flash of despair ran through me. Could it be that at the moment of laying out my menu before my first customer that a fireball came to blow it all to pieces?
 
I came to my senses at once. Ristrien already heard it go off. If my restaurant was still standing, as it surely was, then the target was elsewhere. As I deflated in relief, the question was now *where* it hit.
 
We all ran out into the street, where a sea of distraught faces and a dozen bodies greeted us.
 
It was horrific. Griselda, the green grocer down the street that had been giving me advice on local ingredients was the first limp scorched body I saw and that image won’t soon leave my mind.
 
The death count was steep: two men cloaked in leather, two female humans, a male halfelf, two female halfling musicians, two male Halflings and a male gnome
 
Renear rushed to the gnome, for he was the friend he had been waiting for.
 
He was dead
 
Renear said to me as he was checking the body that Dalakar, the gnome, was an agent of his father. Dalakar had sent a letter this morning that he wanted to meet him on urgent business. The gnome had told him that he had something to give him.
 
As I spoke to him, Nettie caught up with Nat on the way to Trollskull. It is such a relief that she did not decide to walk here just a little bit earlier.
 
Ristrien talked to Fala, who apparently saw a grey cloaked figure looking over the dead body of the gnome.
 
Meaning that Dalakar was the target, and the figure had taken whatever he had meant to give to Renear.
 
Pete noticed a Halfling boy looking in a rain barrel. The boy's name is Martrem Trek. He said that a “metal man” dropped down from the roof. The kid saw the metal man drop something in the rain barrel. Pete fished out of the water a necklace with ripped off clasp and two beads: a necklace of fireballs. The two beads must have been other fireballs that only didn’t go off because they fell into water.
 
I would only hear of this later of course, in the flamboyant manner that Pete tells his stories, but I did see the conversation from afar, and what Pete omitted from his telling was just how considerate he was, as he gently tried to lead the boy away from the massacre and into our tavern. Jesrin Hornraven was wailing for her dead family. It was not a sound anyone, let alone children should hear.
 
Amidst the carnage, there was one survival: a very scorched mercenary. Flynn talked to him. He admitted some of the dead leather armored mercenaries were his comrades and that he was passing this way to get a book, but he was not clearly not saying everything.
 
Ristrien asked which book, and he deflected. She apparently gave him a skeptical look and said, "big reader are you?"
 
I can't imagine he found it as amusing as I did.
 
Ristrien sent Grisby to tail the mercenary guy, by hitching a ride on the carriage he caught, so we’ll see what he learns.
 
Baron looked in the sewers, in the meantime and figured out the culprit climbed the building a few doors down.
 
Tobias showed up late which is actually not that surprising. After all, considering how experienced an adventurer he is, the metal man probably would not have gotten away with it had Tobias arrived early enough.
 
At this point the Watch decided to arrive as well: Cromley and the wizard with purple robes that came by during the whole Troll incident
 
Cromley interviewed everyone. A roofer saw a cloaked figure and fireball going off, blinding him. The wailing woman eventually managed to describe that a metal man had come down and rained fire.
 
This automoton was described as being made out of copper and wood, with a van dyke mustache and a fancy hat….
 
Such things are called Nimblewrights and they are from Luskan. There was one in the parade of the Sea Maiden’s Faire, different than this one, but it made us wonder if they came from the same place: Norbert.
 
The Sea Maiden Faire possibly stopped in Neverwinter, so maybe neverember had some?
 
Ristrien said that the Lady Master of the Watchful order of Mages and protector, Bowgentra Summertain recently acquired a nimblewright (probably from Norbert). Renear doesn't think his father is connected to her, but it was worth investigating.
 
We took a carriage to the guildhall and Algerron let us get a look at Summertain's nimblewright: featureless head, dressed in fine clothing, made of copper and wood. It did not fit the description of the culprit, but it was confirmed she bought it from Zord, the Sea Captain of the Sea Maiden’s Faire.
 
We informed our connections, but Pete butchered the message, as he often does. I took over and my fumbling caused sing song laughter from the other end of the call.
 
We then took a cab back to faire, and Nettie eagerly chatted up Bolu. She asked about his animals and gave him juicy details about the whole Zolton incident.
 
She basically talked our way to the captain to be honest. We convinced the first mate to show us to Captain Clar and we convinced Clar to have someone row us out to Zord and his ship.
 
Clar was just as irritable as we last saw him and it seems the only reason he helped us to the Eyecatcher was our assistance in returning his body. He hissed, "we're even," as he loaded us into one of those little boats.
 
The first thing I noticed was not Zord himself, but his gold mahogany dining table that could barely be seen it was so covered in every sort of food. It was glorious, a feast for all the senses, but especially the tongue.
 
It took me moments to even acknowledge the man at the head of this magnificence, which is in itself hysterical. Zord was not a man in the habit of being outshined clearly. He must be handsome by human standards or at least, he must think he is. He was flanked by two women: a dusky skinned acrobat and a red headed harper. He had a lavish bed off to the side, laden in red silken sheets, the perfect furniture for activities those women implied occurred.
 
We had a lovely conversation. He was charming, inviting us to eat that delectable feast and I assure you, it was delectable. Pete was of course also impressed, but he is suspicious of raw fish. He held up the sushi to fire.
 
The conversation was just as engaging as the flavors on the palate. His compliments flowed easily, "Eye-catching flirt indeed."
 
It turns out that Zord is a massive admirer of Flynn's mother's perfume business. Specifically, he ranted about a discontinued brand of cologne: Vaulting Ambition. Flynn, seeing a business opportunity as he always does, offered to get him some specially made. You should have seen the look on the Captain's face.
 
He was oddly helpful. When we explained what had happened outside our establishment. He was eager to help us find the person responsible. We described the nimblewright and its distinctive "facial hair." He showed us a dark alcove behind him that had Ebon Death. It did not have the mustache that marked the perpetrator, but he sure was imposing.
 
The Faire was in Neverwinter two months ago, but Waterdeep is the first place they have sold them. So, at least if the captain is to be believed, Renear's father has no nimblewrights. Zord brought out a list of his clients and said he sold that one to the Gralhunds 2 and a half weeks ago. Flynn tells me they are a smaller noble house than the Manthar. Weapon suppliers apparently.
 
Ristrien snuck a glance at Zord’s list and caught sight of the following names:
 
Temple of Gond
Lord Adarbrent- largest shipping family
Lord Corin Dezlentyr- villa in sea ward. Transport over caravan
 
As well as the ones we already knew of.
 
I’ll update on our investigation on the Gralhunds soon.