Zhents. Two fe male lightfoot halflings-Havia Quick-
knife and Mookie Plush- believe that Manshoon is the
rightful leader of the Zhentarim. They serve him fear-
lessly, and will sacrifice themselves to ensure that his
plans come to fruition. They are martial arts adepts
(see appendix B), with these changes:- Havia and Mookie are lawful evil.
- They have 49 (lld6 + 11) hit points each.
They have these racial traits: They are Small, and
their walking speed is 25 feet. They can move through
the space of a Medium or larger creature. They have
advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
They speak Common and Halfling.
Havia and Mookie each wear a teleporter ring (see
"Teleporte r Rings," page 157).
Ell. ZHENT QUARTERS
This room contains the following features:
- Pressed against the walls of this room are five wooden
beds (three sized for humans, two for halflings). - Next to each bed is a wooden chest.
- An alabaster staircase descends to area El2.
Kaevja Cynavero, Yevette Blackwater, Agoro Fuoco,
Havia Quickknife, and Mookie Plush all sleep here.
Treasure. In addition to folded clothes and worthless
personal effects, each of the chests holds treasure.
Kaevja's chest contains a gold amulet inset with a red
crystal rune (worth 250 gp). A successful DC 15 Intelli-
gence (Arcana) check reveals that the rune is a symbol
of evocation, though the amulet is nonmagical.
Yevette's chest has three potions of h ealing.
Agorn's chest contains a bundle of love letters from
someone named Tamzyn. Hidden in one of the enve-
lopes is an elegant platinum necklace (worth 250 gp),
featuring a tiny cameo containing a sketched portrait of
a beautiful Turami woman.
In Havia's c hest is a golden comb s haped like a styl-
ized dragon with tiny rubies for eyes (worth 250 gp).
Mookie's c hest contains a tiny halfling doll. Stuffed
ins ide the doll is a pouch that holds five 100 gp pearls.
- An alabaster staircase descends to area El2.
El2. MANSHOON'S QUARTERS
No one aside from Manshoon is allowed down here. The
alabaster stairs that lead to this room descend 10 feet
farther to area El3.
This room contains the following features:
- Across from the stairs stands a large bed with pur-
ple sheets. Sitting on the edge of the bed is a hand-
some young male human in elegant robes. Long
black hair partially conceals his angelic face as he
attaches a metal appendage to the withered stump of
his left arm.
The only other piece of furniture is a table with legs
carved to resemble winged serpents. Displayed on the
table is a metal mask with an intimidating, tyranni-
cal visage.
The handsome young figure is Manshoon (see appen-
dix B), who is much older than he looks.
CHAPTER 8 I WINTER WIZARDRY
This version of Manshoon is n't spoiling for a fight.
He commends the characters for making it this far a nd
shows no concern for the Zhents they defeated to reach
him, since he considers all his followers expendable.
The characters' best chance of survival is to convince
Manshoon that they can be cowed or bribed into work-
ing for him. Weary of his conflict with the Xanathar
Guild, Manshoon suggests that the characters prove
their usefulness to him by hunting down and killing
Xanathar in its lair (see chapte r 5). Manshoon also
demands that they keep his presence in Waterdeep
a secret for now, saying that he will reward them for
their discretion "whe n the time comes." In exchange,
he allows the characters to return to Waterdeep and
promises them positions of powe r in his organization
once Xanathar's death is confirmed. He has no intention
of making good on this promise, but refusing to work
for him puts the characters in a tight spot, s ince the evil
archwizard can't risk exposure.
If a fight breaks out, Manshooo grabs his staff of
power(which he hides unde r the bed) and holds his
ground. For more information on how to play Man-
shoon, see "Facing Mans hoon" at the beginning of
this chapter.
Tyran t's Mask. The mask on the table is nonmagical,
but Manshoon likes to put it on before meeting with bis
followe rs.E13. MANSHOON'S STUDY
The a labaster stairs end here. The room contains the
following features:- A plush lavender carpet covers the floor.
- In one far corne r of the room, a low table is set
between two purple couches. The table has a thin
drawer built into it.
In the other far corner, Manshoon's spellbook res ts
atop a black marble lectern protected by an invis ible
helmed horror. The construct attacks anyone other
than Mans hoon who disturbs the book (becoming visi-
ble as it does so). It obeys Manshoon's commands if he
is present, and it fights until destroyed.
Table. The table's drawer has an arcane lock spell
cast on it. The spell can be bypassed by someone
who makes a successful DC 25 Dexterity check using
thieves' tools, or with a knock spell or similar magic.
The drawer can also be forced open with a success-
ful DC 21 Strength (Athletics) check. Inside is a
leather-bound ledger that provides a paper trail implicat-
ing Manshoon in two blackmail schemes. An hour spent
studying the ledger uncovers the following information: - Corylus Thaon, a racist Wate rdavian noble, is paying
the Zhentarim not to reveal that he hired Zhent thugs
to assault nonhumans. - Jelenn Urmbrusk, a Waterdavian noble, receives regu-
lar payments from the Zbentarim to offset monies he
loses in bad investments.
The ledger doesn't reveal that Corylus Thann and
jelenn Urmbrusk are Masked Lords, or that Manshoon's
blackmail of them also forces them to use their infiu-