"My friends, don't be discouraged. The wind is blowing
in our direction! I've learned that Fenerus Stormcastle
was arrested by the City Watch for theft and taken to a
courthouse in the Castle Ward to face the judgment of
a mag1ster. No doubt he hid the stone before his cap·
ture. You must speak to him right away. You'll need to
devise some sort of ruse to get close to Fenerus. I urge
against violence, or you might find yourself locked up
beside him."Jf the characters ask why Laeral Silverhand doesn't
question Fenerus herself or bail him out of jail,jarlaxle
laughs and says it would be politically unwise for the
Open Lord to be seen negotiating with a man who has
committed hei nous crimes against the city.
Jarlaxle could speak to Fenerus himself, but he's not
sure if the courthouse is warded against magic. He can't
risk the exposure, so he sends the characters instead. If
the characters refuse to work for Rongquan, he shrugs
his broad shoulders and lets them leave unmolested, fig-
uring they'll try to talk to Fenerus anyway.
If the characters attack him,jarlaxle smiles, whistles
for his drow bodyguards, and has at them. If the char-
acters fall in combat. jarlaxle and his guards stabilize
dying party members before dragging all of them to a
snowy alley and leaving them there with their gear. Af.
ter the drow depart. a cold wind tears through the alley
and awakens the unconscious characters.NEXT E NCOUNTER
If the characters decide to speak with Fenerus. proceed
with encounter 8, "Courthouse."THEATER: WINTER
As this encounter opens, the characters follow a flee-
ing Zhent swashbuckler into a theater in the Trades
Ward called the Brizzenbright. Named after Malkolm
Brizzenbrighl. its dead owner, the establishment has
struggled i n recent years. It stays open in the winter for
its own survival, but the theater is wickedly cold this
time of year.BRIZZENBRIG HT'S GHOST
Malkolm Brizzenbright, a ghost , greets all visitors in the
lobby(area Pl). Dressed in a suit, his hair unkempt, he
floats in plain sight most of the time, waving his hands
about in gestures of greeting and salutation. Locals are
accustomed to his spectral form and his stock introduc-
tion: "Let not this harried visage diminish you, gentle-
sirs and beautiful ladies. for I am but your friendly host.
What fine art have we wrought for you this day? Buy
your tickets and behold! You shan't be disappointed!"
The ghost can engage in light conversation. It is
bound to the theater because Malkolm Brizzenbright's
soul couldn't bear to leave the place. If the theater were
to close down, the ghost would haunt it still, perhaps
becoming more deranged over time. Only razing or
burning the theater to the ground can force his spirit to
depart forever.
C H APTER 4 I DRAGON SEASON
SNAKES IN THE HOUSE
After a harrowing rooftop chase, Yevette Blackwater
(CE female Tethyrian human swashbuckler ; see appen-
dix B) has bought a ticket and slipped into the theater
during a performance of Blood Wedding-a play about
love, jealousy, and death. In the story, a young woman
is brought to a castle by a count, only to fall in love with
his younger brother, a man of faith. Her betrayaJ eats
away at the jealous count. He murders his brother on
his wedding day and pursues the bride, who hurls her-
self off the castle battlements in despair. The count is
cursed by the gods and transformed into a creature of
darkness, damned to live in his castle and feed on blood.
A female cellist and two male violinists provide musical
accompaniment.
The shivering audience includes thirty commoners.
Also present is a Zhentarim spy named Agorn Fuoco
(NE male Turami bard; see appendix B) and his com-
panion, Amath Sercent (LE female Mu Ian priest of
Bane). Agorn is swept up in the drama and fighti ng back
tears while Amath pats his arm gently. Yevette takes a
seat behind them and surreptitiously passes the Stone
ofGo/orr to Agorn. Looking on from the back row is
Remallia Haventree (see appendix B), a member of the
Harpers who suspects Agorn of being a high-ranking
Zbent. She has been watching him for a while now, hop-
ing to identify other Zhentarim leaders in Waterdeep. Al-
though Remallia appears to be alone, the two violinists
(LG male llluskan human spies with Performance +5)
are Harpers under her command. Agorn and Amath are
unaware that they're under surveillance.E NTER T H E HE RO ES
The characters are expected to buy tickets before en-
tering the main theater. The house manager chases
after them if they don't, threatening to summon the
City Watch.
A character who makes a successful DC 14 Wisdom
(Perception) check spots Vevette in the darkened the-
ater. When this happens, Yevette springs from her chair
and flees out the nearest door, planning to lead the
characters on another merry chase. Remallia and her
fellow Harpers watch with interest but don't get i nvolved
unless their lives or the lives of innocents are imperiled.NEXT ENCOUNTER
If the characters take the bait, proceed with encounter
3, ''Street Chase." Once Yevette's pursuers are out of
sight, Agorn Fuoco and A math Sercent use the distrac-
tion to slip away, exiting through the main doors and
flagging down a hire-coach.Encounter 7: Old Tower
The characters face enemies in a dilapidated tower bu.ilt
by some half-forgotten Waterdavian mage hundreds of
years ago. It has the following features:
All doors are unlocked except the one to area 05.- The rooms have 15-foot-high ceilings, with 7-foot-high
doorways connecting them. - The tower is brightly lit by continual flame spells cast
on wall sconces.