SPEAKING WITH THE VICTI MS
The dead are taken to a City Watch station in the North
Ward and kept in a cellar morgue. Clerics from local
temples are brought in to cast gentle repose spells on
the corpses, to preserve them while the investigation is
ongoing. Any character who has a renown of^1 or higher
in Force Grey (the Gray Hands), the Harpers, the Lords'
Alliance, the Order of the Gauntlet, or the Zhentarim
can petition their faction representative to hire a cleric
to cast speak with de;:id on one or more of the fatalities.
The characters can hire a cleric themselves by making
a donation of at least 25 gp to the cleric's temple for
each casting of the spell. They must also provide a list of
questions they want answered.
A speak with dead spell can pry some or all of the fol-
lowing information from Dalakhar's corpse if the right
questions are asked:- Dalakhar stole an artifact called the Stone ofGolorr
from the lair of a beholder known as Xanathar, in a
dungeon deep below the city.
Dalakhar worked for the Open Lord of Waterdeep.
(Here he refers to Lord Dagult Neverember, whom
he believes is the rightful Open Lord, not Laeral
Silverhand.)
The Stone of Golorr is the key to finding a hoard of
dragons hidden in the city.
Dalakhar heard about a group of adventurers who
rescued Lord Neverember's son from the Zhentarim
and thought the Stone ofGolorrwould be safe in their
hands for the time being. He was on his way to deliver
it to them, planning to come back and reclaim it after
he had eluded his pursuers. Then the fireball went off.
The following information can be learned by casting
speak with dead on one or both of the dead Zhentarim
sellswords:
Their names were Bashekk Ortallis and Wern
Malkrave. They worked for Urstul Floxin and resided
al Gralhund Villa.- Their job was to help catch a gnome named Dalakbar.
- Dalakhar had some kind of artifact in his possession
which, according to Urstul Floxin, would make them
as rich as kings.
im's Secret
Characters who questionjezrynne Hornraven (see "'Eye-
witnesses'' above) can get a description of the creature
that set off the fireball. It bears a striking similarity to
the automatons that sometimes march in the Day of
Wonders parade, as anyone who has lived in Waterdeep
during the fall season knows. Because the Day of Won-
ders parade is sponsored by the loca I temple of Gond,
characters might want to visit the temple and investigate
a possible connection.HOUSE OF INSPIRED HANDS
The House of Inspired Hands, Waterdeep's temple of
Gond, sits on the corner of Seawatch Street and Shark
Street in the Sea Ward. If the c haracters visit the tem-
ple, they see the following:
CHAPTER 3 I FIREBALL
The House of Inspired Hands looks like a cross be-
tween a temple and a workshop. The symbol of Gond, a
toothed cog with four spokes, is displayed prominently.
You see the silhouette of a humanoid shape perching
on the rooftop. It extends an arm, releasing a tiny metal
sparrow into the sky. The bird does a few loops in the air,
then veers right toward you.The creature atop the temple is Nim, a o im blewright
(see appendix B). Nim was given to the temple as a gift
from a visiting Lantanese wizard and has been creating
its own inventions on the sly. One of those inventions
was the nimblewright that detonated the fireball in
Trollskull Alley. Another less-dangerous invention, a
mechanical sparrow, is on an accidental collision course
with the party.
Have the characters roll initiative. Nim's mechanical
bird acts on initiative count 10, has a flying speed of^60
feet. and starts 60 feet away from the characters. It has
AC 15, l hit point, and immunity to poison and psychic
damage. On its turn, it flies toward one party member
at random and makes a melee weapon attack (+O to hit)
against that character. On a hit, the bird deals 2 (ld3)
pie rcing damage as it slams into the character with
surprising force. On a miss, it crashes. Either way, it's
destroyed on impact.
After the attack, Nim withdraws into the temple's attic
through a secret hatch in the roof and lies low, hoping
the characters don't report the incident to the tem-
ple's acolytes.INSIDE THE TEMPLE
The temple of Gond is open and abuzz with activity
during daylight hours, then closes from sunset until sun-
rise. At night. acolytes retire to their private quarters co
work on pet projects.HALL OF EXEMPLARY INVENTIONS
The main hall of the temple holds two dozen marble
pedestals. Each one bears a prize-winning invention or
a miniature model of some other extraordinary creation.
Among the displays are several that stand out:- A 4-foot-tall working model of a clock tower rings at
the top of every hour. It is made of wood. iron. bronze,
and glass, with brass bells and delicate hands formed
from solid gold. - A wooden flying machine has wings that flap when it
becomes airborne. - A miniature model of a mechanical dragon turtle has
a brass plate affixed to its pedestal that reads, "Big
Bclchy. Sank in Deepwater Harbor on the Day of
Wonders in 1363 DR." - A functional "waking helmet" equipped with small,
articulated metal arms and hands that gently slap the
wearer if he or she falls asleep. - A miniature model of a red submarine shaped like a
manta ray has a brass plate affixed to its pedestal that
reads, "The Scarlet Marpenoth. Lantanese submers-
ible. Launched in 1489 DR."