The Singing Sword

4C4P This busy tavern stands on the north side of Bazaar Street, at the head of the Street of Bells. Three floors of busy diners enjoy one of the largest menus in Water- deep, including the justly famous turtle soup-served in a turtle's upside-down shell—here each day. They are entertained by the high¬voiced ballads of the wondrous magical blade for which the tavern is named. This black-bladed long sword was brought to Waterdeep long ago, and is thought to have been forged in ancient Netheril. It customarily stands upright, hilt uppermost, in the open central well of the tavern, encircled by the spiraling stairs to the upper floors, and is silent. Once an hour, one of the tavern staff—usually a pretty girl in mock armor, struggling under the weight of the blade—lifts the blade and holds it high, for it will only sing when grasped and ordered. The will of the holder actually determines the song- and angry or upset holders thoughts have been known to make the blade segue into a second song after it has begun singing. The sword's magic has never failed yet. It seems immune to the effects of dispel magic —in fact, applying one when the blade is held by a living being causes it to snarl in anger and scorn! It seems to know 30 or so songs, mainly tragic ballads, love la¬ments, or roaring warriors' songs, with a few comedy pieces thrown in. Its voice is high, clear, and almost bell-like on high notes, but somehow male-though it has been known to mimic the voices of others who sing along with it 3i3n order to better harmonize. I've included the lyrics of Trollsong, a comedy ballad that seemed a special favorite of the patrons, so that you can sing along if you visit the Sword and not feel out of place. Everyone in the place roars and minces their way through this one, and bel¬lows for it to be sung at least twice through each time. The Sword has a simple way of dealing with prices: All meals are 1 gp per platter, whatever you order. This includes a tallglass or tankard of whatever you want. Subsequent drinks are 1 sp/ tankard for any beer or 1 gp/ tallglass for zzar or any wine. The exotic drinkables (elver- quisst, dragonstongue, firewine, and Fires of Mirabar whiskey) are few or missing altogether- no surprise, at these prices. The Sword sings when it pleases. It performs for Gothmorgan because it likes him—and will use its extraordinary powers to elude anyone it doesn't want wielding it. It will only allow Gothmorgan, a good-aligned bard (or in an emergency, if Gothmorgan, his staff, or the tavern are threatened, anyone willing to wield it to defend them) to wield it. It may have other, as yet unknown, powers—and Elminster believes it is of Netherese origin. Whenever I went, I found the Sword to be a lively place, bright¬ly lit and full of crowds of folk enjoying their meal—and their visit with friends at adjacent tables. This is obviously a popu- lar place with many regulars. The food's good, too. Any visitor to Water deep will find this place worth a visit to hear the Singing Sword burst into song. Proprietor: Gothmorgan Ilibuld, the proprietor, is tall, laconic, and always watchful, but ever the polite host.