waterdeep dragon heist

time to render judgment. ln the meantime. characters

can try to speak to Fenerus.

• The characters can try to infiltrate the courthouse
  using mundane disguises or magic. Impersonating an
  official or using magic to influence one is a crime (see
  the Code Legal handout in appendix C), so they must
  be stealthy or skilled at deception.

MEETING WlTH THE MAGISTER
The courthouse magister is Hester Barch (LG female
Turami human acolyte with Insight +4), a petite woman
in her seventies. Magister Barch is slow to anger and
fond of sharing lengthy educational anecdotes and para-
bles. Unknown to all but her closest aides, the magister
bas the innate psionic ability to cast the detect thoughts
spell without somatic or material components. After
using it once, the magister must finish a short or long
rest before she can cast the spell again. Wisdom is her
spellcasting ability (spell save DC 12).
The magister is disinclined to agree to any request
for a private meeting with Fenerus, on the grounds that
he's a shady, unrepentant person and a Bight risk. The
conditions under which she will permit a meeting are
as follows:

A character who has at least 3 renown in the Harpers

or the Lords' Alliance, or a character who belongs

to a Waterdavian noble family, makes a good argu-

ment and succeeds on a DC 15 Charisma (Persua-

sion) check.

• A character who is impersonating a noble or an official
  makes a good argument and s ucceeds on a DC^15
  Charisma (Deception) check. If the check fails, Magis-
  ter Barch sees through the ruse and uses her detect
  tlwughts spell to verify that the character is in fact dis-
  gujsed as a noble or an official- a crime that carries a
  punishment of Bogging followed by imprisonment for
  up to a tenday, plus a fine of up to^500 gp.


• A character tells the magister about the hidden cache
  of dragons and Fenerus's role in finding it.

TALKING TO FENERUS

Fenerus Stormcastle (N male Tethyrian bandit captain)

is confined to a cell in area H8, waiting to stand trial.

He is charged with multiple counts of theft (highway

banditry) and assaults against Waterdavian citizens.

Fenerus knew it was only a matter of time until some-

one tipped off the City Watch; he suspects that another

member of the Blood Hawk Posse gave him up. The

timing is unfortunate for him, since he was planning to

earn a small fortune by turning over the Stone ofGo-

lorr to his Luskanite contact. Now, he plans to use the

stone to escape imprisonment and wipe his criminal

record clean.

If the characters can get close enough to speak with

him, Fenerus refuses to divulge the stone's location until

he is released and granted immunity for his past crimes.

He knows that the presiding magister or a Lord of Wa-

terdeep has the authority to give him what he wants.

The only condition under which Magister Barch will

consider acquiescing to Fenerus's demands is if the

characters convince her that such a decision is good

for Waterdeep. To accomplish that, they either must

use magic to beguile her (which is a crime and likely to

result in the caster's arrest once the effect wears off),

or they must tell her about the Vault of Dragons and the

stolen gold. In either case, she insists on trying some-

thing before letting him off the hook: after taking a short

rest, she has Fenerus brought to her courtroom and

questions him about the stone. Surreptitiously, she uses

her detect thoughts spell to scan his surface thoughts in

an attempt to discern the stone's location. Given that the

stone is foremost in Fenerus's mind, Magistrate Barch

learns where it is hidden, shares the information with

the characters, and returns Fenerus to his cell.

WHERE'S THE STONE?

Fenerus hid the Stone ofGolorr on the top Boor of an

old tower in the Dock Ward-a tower warded against all

forms of magic. If he is freed, he offers to lead the char-

acters to the tower or provides directions so they can

find it on his own.

NEXT ENCOUNTER

If the characters learn where Fenerus hid the stone and

go after it, proceed with encounter 7, "Old Tower."

Encounter 9: Cellar Complex

Cellars and sewer tunnels intersect to create small

dungeons under Waterdeep. These complexes have the

following features:

• Ceilings and doorways are 7 feet high.
  
  
  • There are no light sources.
  
  
  
  

AREAS OF THE CELLAR COMPLEX

The following locations are keyed to map 4.7. The

complex has three distinct sections: the sewer tunnels

(areas Bl-B3), the southern cellars (areas 84-89), and

the northern cellars (areas^810 - Bll).

Bl. SEWER ACCESS

This chamber has stone steps and a locked, iron-bound

wooden door with a sign mounted on il that reads, in

Common, "SEWER ACCESS: AUTHORIZED CITY OFFI-

CIALS ONLY." The door to area 82 is locked. The lock

can be picked by a character who makes a successful

DC 17 Dexterity check using thieves' tools, or the door

can be forced open with a successful DC^20 Strength

(Athletics) check. City Watch captains hold keys to

sewer access points that correspond with their as-

signed wards.

B2. SEWERS

Fresh sewage Rows along a trough that runs parallel to

a stone walkway. The sewage is 3 feet deep. Any crea-

ture immersed in it for^1 minute must succeed on a DC

11 Constitution saving throw or become infected with

sewer plague (sec "Diseases" in chapter^8 of the Dun-

geon Master's Guide).

Where the tunnel branches, a stone bridge spans

the sewage pouring out of an eastern artery. There's

no walkway in this arterial passage that leads to areas

B3 and B4.

CHAPTER ·1 I DRAGON SEASON