waterdeep dragon heist

(Jeff_L) #1
The Xanathar Guild makes one last attempt to regain
the stone (encounter 1, "Alley"). Any character who be-
comes attuned to the stone learns that the Vault of Drag-
ons lies beneath a theater in the Castle Ward (encounter
6, "Theater").

WE AT H E R E FFECT S
Until the encounter chain is complete, t he following
weather effects a re in play.
Heavy Rain. Heavy rain falls from noon until mid-
night. Creatures in the rain have disadvantage on Wis-
dom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or sight.
The rain also extinguishes open Rames. Visibility is
reduced to 60 feet.
Thick Fog. From midnight until noon, the city is en-
gulfed in thick fog. Creatures in the fog have disadvan-
tage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Visibility is reduced to 30 feet.

SUMMER ENCOUNTER CHAIN
As Waterdavians contend with sweltering heat, the Cas-
salanters send disciples of their Asmodeus-worshiping
cult to seize the Stone ofColorr while deftly avoiding
entanglements with local authorities.

SUMMARY
The characters arrive at the Cassalanter mausoleum to
find several dead cultists inside (encounter 4, "Mauso-
leum"). A left-for-dead survivor reveals that these cult-
ists were betrayed by two of their own. The characters
head to an old windmill in the Southern Ward where the
c ult fanatics practice their diabolical faith (encounter 10,
"Converted Windmill'"). Spined devils swoop in, snatch
the stone, and flee, setting up a rooftop chase (encounter
5, "Rooftop Chase").
The spined devils deliver the stone to a hire-coach
parked in an alley(encounter 1, "Alley"). Inside the
coach is Victoro Cassalanter's valet, Willifort Crowelle,
a doppelganger in tiefling form. As the hire-coach flees,
a street chase ensues (encounter 3, "Street Chase").
When a c rowd cuts off his escape route, Willi fort leaps
out of the hire-coach and tries to lose himself in the
crowd. In the confusion, street urchins snatch the stone.
The characters catch up to the c hildren in their cellar
hideout (encounter 9, "Cellar Complex").
With the Stone ofColorr in their possession, the
characters emerge from the cellar complex only to find
themselves surrounded by members of the City Watch.
They are arrested for one or more crimes and taken to
a courthouse in the Dock Ward to face sentencing by a


IF A V ILLAIN GETS THE STONE
If a main villain acquires the Stone of Golorr, it takes that
villain 2d6 days to find the Vault of Dragons and its keys.
During this time, the characters have a chance to steal the
stone from the villain's lair. If the characters don't steal the
stone in time, the villain sends forces into the vault to de-
feat Aurinax and recover the gold, which takes another 2d6
days. Once the gold is recovered, the villain moves forward
with a master plan as detailed in the introduction. If the
characters are still alive, they could oppose the villain by
stealing the gold from the villain's lair.

Ol-IAP'TER 4 I DRAGON SE.\SON


magister (encounter 8, "Courthouse"). Meanwhile, the
doppelganger tries to get the stone back.
Any character who becomes attuned to the Stone
of Colorr learns that the Vault of Dragons is hidden
under an old tower in the Sea Ward (encounter 7, "Old
Tower"). When they arrive al the lower, they encounter
its new owner, who is discussing renovations with vari-
ous local guild members.

WEATHER EFFECT S
Until the encounter chain is complete, the folJowing
weather effect is in play.
Heat Wave. During the day, a character without
access to drinkable water must succeed on a DC 10
Constitution saving throw at the end of each encounter
in the chain or gain one level of exhaustion. The saving
throw is made with disadvantage if the character is
wearing medium or heavy armor. Characters who have
resistance or immunity to fire automatically succeed on
the saving throw.

AUTUMN ENCOUNTER CHAIN
Deception and misdirection arejarlaxle's forte, and he
likes to trick his rivals into working for him. He steers
the characters toward the Stone ofColorr and lees them
think they're always one step ahead. Drow player char-
acters who are members of Bregan D'aerthe might find
their loyalty to the party put to the test.

SUMMARY
The characters visit the residence of Fenerus Storm-
castle, a lamplighter and retired brigand who funnels
information to Bregan D'aerthe. They arrive to find the
place ransacked (encounter l, "Alley"). The duergar
who looted the residence work for the Xanathar Guild,
and Bregan D'aerthe spies have tracked them to a
cellar complex in the Southern Ward. In the guise of
Laeral Silverhand,jarlaxle steers the characters in that
direction (encounter 9, "Cellar Complex"). A search of
the cellar complex yields a fake stone, but not the real
Stone ofColorr. With no other leads, the characters can
follow up with "Laeral" at a theater in the Dock Ward
(encounter 6, "Theater").Jarlaxle makes the characters
an offer they can't refuse, setting his agents on them if
they dare to do so.
Once he realizes the Xanalhar Guild doesn't have
the slone,Jarlaxle asks the characters to interrogate
Fenerus to find out where he hid it.jarlaxle has learned
that Fenerus is awaiting trial at a courthouse in the Cas-
tle Ward (encounter 8, "Courthouse"). Fenerus wants
immunity for all of his past crimes. The characters are
in no position to grant his wish, but they might threaten
him, persuade him, or use magic to charm him. If he is
compelled to reveal the stone's location, Fenerus points
the characters to an old tower in the Dock Ward (en-
counter 7, "Old Tower").
Jarlaxle's lieutenants reach the stone first and flee
across the rooftops in the Dock Ward to escape the
characters (encounter 5, "Rooftop Chase"). They go to
ground in Mistshore (encounter 2, ''Mistshore"). Once
the characters wrest the stone away from these drow,
they can use it to guide them lo the home of a famous
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