GETTING INVOLVED
If the characters c hoose to join the fray, have everyone
roll initiative. But the fight is almost over by the time
they push through the rowdy spectators. Krentz has
only 3 hit points remaining and is trying to escape from
underneath Yagra, but the four other Xanathar Guild
members are poised to tackle her.
Pu !ling Yagra away from Krentz requires a s uccessful
Strength check contested by Yagra's Strength check.
Yagra thanks the characters if they help her, but is disap-
pointed that they interfered in the fight.
Remember how the characters deal with Krentz in
this scene. Ifhe survives, the characters might meet him
again in one of the Xanathar Guild's sewer hideouts (see
area QS, page 28).HANGING BACK
1f the characters don't interfere in the brawl, Yagra
knocks Krentz out cold but is then beaten unconscious
by his companions. Durnan, the proprietor of the Yawn-
ing Portal, points toward the door. "Out!" he snarls, and
the Xanathar Guild members flee carrying Krentz's un-
conscious form.TROLL AND FRIENDS
In the third round of the brawl, trouble arises from out
of the gaping well in the middle of the Yawning Por-
tal's taproom:Shouts of alarm suddenly ring out as a hulking creature
climbs up out of the shaft in the middle of the tap·
room-a monster with warty green skin, a tangled nest
of wiry black hair, a long, carrot-shaped nose, and blood·
shot eyes. As it bares its yellow teeth and howls, you can
see that a half-dozen bat-like creatures are attached to its
body, with three more circling above it like flies. Everyone
in the tavern reacts in fear except for the barkeep,
Durnan, who shouts, "Troll!"The troll, which currently has 44 hit points, has crawled
up from the first level of Undermountain to feed on tasty
humanoid flesh, bringing nine stirges with it. Once in
the taproom, the troll rises to its full height of 9 feet
and rolls initiative. The stirges also roll initiative, but
only the three flying above the troll pose a threat. The
remaining stirges are bloated, having drained copious
amounts of the troll's blood, and fly back down the shaft
to digest their meal. As the troll regenerates, the effects
of its blood loss become less apparent.
Most tavern patrons and staffers flee or take cover
at the sight of the troll. The stirges attack the nearest
characters as Durnan (see appendix B) draws his great-
sword, springs over the bar, and confronts the monster
himself. As he attacks, he calls on the characters to
focus on s laying the stirges and then douse the troll
with lamp oil and set it on fire when it falls. Yagra joins
the fight if she's conscious. To any characters who help
defeat the troll, Durnan says matter-of-factly, "You
fought well."
OFIAPTl!R 1 I A F.RIEND IN NEED
If any of the characters are reduced to 0 hit points
during the fight, employees of the Yawning Portal step
forward to stabilize them.MEETING VOLO
Once the troll and the stirges are dealt with, Volo
pushes against the tide of patrons staying clear of th~
monster to greet the characters, lavishing praise on
them for their bravery (whether justified or not): "You be
adventurers, am I right? I could use your help. Let's find
a table to talk, shall we?"
Volothamp Geddarm is known to most Waterdavians
as a braggart and a notorious embellisher of facts. For
all his faults, though, Volo is a soft-hearted sort who
cares for nothing as much as his friends. At present,
he is grievously concerned for the well-being of one of
them. He begins his request with an air of charm and
mystery, but it quickly devolves into tearful sincerity.The figure who approached you strokes his mustache,
adjusts his floppy hat, and tightens his scarf. "Volothamp
Geddarm, chronicler, wizard, and celebrity, at your
service. I trust you've noted the violence in our fair city
these past tendays. I haven't seen so much blood since
my last visit to Baldur's Gate! But now I fear I have mis-
placed a friend amid this odious malevolence.
"My friend's name is Floon Blagmaar. He's got more
beauty than brains, and I worry he took a bad way home
a couple nights ago and was kidnapped-or worse. If you
agree to track him down with all due haste, I can offer
you ten dragons apiece now, and I can give you each ten
times that when you find Floon. May I prevail upon you in
my hour of need?"Volo gives each character a small pouch containing 10
gp simply for accepting his quest. Characters who want
to discover his intentions must make a DC 10 Wisdom
(Insight) check. On a success, a character discerns that
Volo is honest but might be stretching the truth about
how much he can pay. (Currently low on cash, Volo is
awaiting royalty payments from Volo's Guide to Mon-
sters. To make more coin. he began work on a new book,
Vo/o's Guide to Spirits and Specters. As it happens, his
knowledge of spirits mostly concerns the alcoholic vari-
ety, and the writing has not been going well.) If pressed,
Volo urges the characters to trust him, and promises
he'll have the rest of the reward, 100 gp per character,
ready to deliver once Floon is returned to him alive.
Volo describes Floon as a handsome human male
in his early thirties with wavy red-blond hair. He was
dressed in princely garb when Volo last saw him. Two
nights ago, before Floon disappeared, he and Volo were
drinking and merrymaking at the Skewered Dragon, a
dark, bawdy tavern in the Dock Ward. Volo recommends
that the characters start their search there.