Session 18 Summary

General Summary

The session began as the party arrived at the Yawning Portal, badly wounded and exhausted, and seeking rest. After acquiring lodgings from Durnan, Lunchmoney headed straight to bed while Hawthorne and Horus paused briefly to speak with Jalester; their contact with the Lords Alliance. Jalester was pleased to hear that the Harko problem had been dealt with (although less pleased with having the evidence thrown in his face), and promised to send the party’s reward to their manor the next morning. After a long night’s rest, the party emerged to enjoy breakfast and perhaps a few too many hairs of the dog; Lunchmoney in particular. They then headed out to the Buxom Beauty tavern for their planned meeting with Renaer and some friends of the deceased gnome, Dalakhar.
The tavern proved to be a relatively upscale establishment but with a subtly seedy underbelly, especially in terms of the subject matter of the spicy artwork on the walls. Renaer arrived a bit late, but quickly introduced the party to a set of identical twins; Stevenestri and Toddarious Lemerrieouxx. While dining on deep fried calamari and cheese, the party recounted what they’d learned about Dalakhar’s death from the witnesses they’d interviewed, including the puppet-like character on the roof and the survivor who escaped to the east with something taken from the gnome’s body.
The twins suggested that the puppet may have been one of the automatons seen every year in the city’s annual Day of Wonders parade, and explained that they are usually supplied by the Temple of Gond; a building in Waterdeep also known as the House of Inspired Hands.
Meanwhile, when Renaer heard about the survivor who escaped, he offered to reach out to his contacts with the Harpers; another of Waterdeep’s many factions, and promised to send a message with whatever he could learn by the next day.
After a glass or two of remarkably good champagne, the party decided to check in at the temple and see what they could learn. As soon as they arrived, however, Hawthorne spotted a figure crouched on the roof of the building that proceeded to release some sort of mechanical bird which flew straight at Hawthorne, narrowly missing him before smashing itself on the cobblestones. The figure then retreated quickly into the building’s attic through some sort of hatch.
Not pleased with this event, the party headed into the temple to investigate where they met a bronze dragonborn woman named Valetta. After telling her about the incident outside, she explained that it was likely a nimblewright named Nim who lives in the temple’s attic. They party convinced Valetta to let them speak with Nim, but soon discovered that the clever automaton had changed the locks on his door and could not be persuaded to open it. That didn’t stop a tipsy Lunchmoney from quickly shouldering the door off its hinges.
Inside, they found Nim cowering under a pile of debris in the corner, but Horus’s magically-enhanced skills of persuasion proved enough to draw him out for discussion. As Valetta translated Nim’s sign language, he explained that while he had indeed been leaving the temple to explore the city, it was not to cause any trouble, but that he was in fact trying to locate another automaton of his own creation who had recently run away and not returned. Horus’s charm also helped persuade Nim to lend the party a contraption he had invented to help search for the missing automaton; a bronze rod he referred to as a Nimblewright Detector. While the trigger is engaged, the device will begin whirring and clicking when within 500 feet of a nimblewright other than Nim; getting faster as the distance is narrowed. The party promised that they would locate and return, or destroy, the truant automaton, to which Valetta even offered them a reward.
After departing the temple, the party returned to Trollskull Manor for the evening where they found Emry Pebblepot waiting to further discuss his business proposal. The party managed to negotiate a deal with Emry whereby they would pay him the sum of 50 gp per tenday in exchange for perpetual, exclusive rights to a new signature beer, and one year of exclusivity for Pebblepot’s other varieties.
Satisfied with their day’s work, the party proceeded to get shitfaced on their own booze; especially Hawthorne who saw fit to redecorate much of the manor’s flooring and tables with the contents of his belly.

Report Date

28 Nov 2024