DAVIL STARSONG
Davil Starsong (see appendix B) is the characters'
primary contact in the Black Network, at least initia lly.
Over drinks, he shares the following information:- Davi! is a retired adventurer. He and his adventuring
companions joined the Zhentarim a few years back.
They help people in need. (More specifically, they pro-
vide loans. mercenaries, and other services.) - Another B lack Network gang has recently infiltrated
the city and tried to take over the Xanathar Guild.
They failed, setting off a war in the streets. Davi I and
ZHENTARIM MISSIONS
Party Level
2nd3rd4th5thMission Brief
"Someone is killing e lf and half-elf sailors in
the Dock Ward-three dead so far, each one
decapitated by a blade in the dead of night.
Look into it, will you? Methinks the City Watch
could use a little help.""There's a shop in the Trades Ward called
Weirdbottle's Concoctions. The gnome who
runs it is a friend of ours named Skeemo. He's
made some potions of mind reading for a client.
Pick up the potions and deliver them to the
God Catcher, one of the enormous statues in
the Castle Ward. Give the potions to the lady in
the purple cloak, and keep the tip.""Waterdeep's richest halfling family, the
Snobeedles, is offering 500 gold pieces for in·
formation leading to the safe return of a miss·
ing family member named Dasher Snobeedle.
Those dragons sure would look good in our
coffers! Investigate and see what you can
learn, but don't get in any trouble. The City
Watch already has it out for us.""Skeemo Weirdbottle has betrayed us! The lit·
tie worm has been feeding information to our
enemies. He must be eliminated. Make it look
like an accident."CHAPTER 2 I TROLLSKULL ALLEY
his colleagues want to end the violence and restore
the peace.
Davi! offers membership in the faction to interested
characters, then assigns them their first mission (see
the Zhentarim Missions table). Subsequent mission
briefings a re written on scrolls and delivered by fly.
ing snakes.TASHLYN YAFEERA
After the characters complete two missions for Davil,
he is arrested by the City Watch and held in Castle Wa-
terdeep while he waits to be questioned by the LordsMission Requirements and Reward
Characters who s pend three consecutive nights loitering around
the docks spot Heldar, a drunk half-elf sailor (bandit), leaving the
Muleskull Tavern (on Ship Street in the Dock Ward). Characters who
follow Heldar can save him from Soluun Xibrindas, a renegade drow
g unslinger (see appendix B). Soluun hides in the shadows, blade
drawn, waiting for the half-elf to stumble by. Spotting him before
he strikes requires a successful DC 18 Wisdom (Perception) check.
Soluun flees if reduced to half his hit points or fewer. Reward: Each
Zhentarim character gains 1 renown. If Heldar survives Soluun's
attack, each character receives 50 gp.
Skeemo Weirdbottle (see appendix B) has placed four potions of
poison in a small silk-lined coffer. The potions look, smell, and taste
like potions of mind reading. Awaiting delivery near the God Catcher
is Esvele Rosznar, the Black Viper (see appendix B). She wears a
hooded purple cloak and is seated in the back of a hire-coach. She
exchanges the coffer for a black velvet pouch, then orders her driver
to depart. The coach delivers Esvele to her estate in the Sea Ward.
Reward: Each Zhentarim character gains 1 renown. Esvele's pouch
contains 15 pp, which the characters can keep.
Any character who spends at least three d ays asking pertinent
questions and pursuing leads in the Southern Ward or the Dock
Ward can, at the end of that time, make a DC 18 Charisma (Persua·
s ion or Intimidation) check. On a success, the character convinces
some tight-lipped halflings to arrange a meeting with Dasher. The
meeting is scheduled to occur at highsun in Waymoot the next day.
Dasher shows up to hear what the characters have to say, but he has
no intention of going home. He recently joined a gang ofhalfling
wererats called the Shard Shunners (so named because they detest
silver) and has since become a wererat himself (see chapter 1 for
halfling wererat statistics). The Shard Shunners are his family now.
Reward: Each Zhentarim character gains 2 renown.
Skeemo Weirdbottle (see appendix B) manages to stay one step
ahead of the characters. As they approach his shop, they see him
ride off in a dray with five other passengers and a driver (all com-
moners). If Skeemo realizes he's being followed, he casts fly and
takes to the air. If the effect is dispelled or the characters maintain
pursuit, he casts greater invisibility on himself and uses crowds to
cover his escape. If the characters fail to nab him, he takes refuge
in Kolat Towers (see chapter 8). Reward: Each Zhentarim character
gains 2 renown ifSkeemo is eliminated without implicating the
Black Network. In add ition, characters who snatch Skeemo's satchel
find that it holds his spellbook (containing all the spells he has pre·
pared), a potion of mind reading, and 150 gp in a silk coin purse.