The Watch Arrives
Shortly after the characters find Renaer, a captain of the
City Watch named Hyustus Staget (LG male Illuskan
human vetera n) leads a dozen vete ra n s to the ware-
house. Having received a report of suspicious activity,
they barge in and try to prevent anyone from leaving.
Kenku that are still alive and present are taken into
custody, and it doesn't take long for the City Watch to
conclude that the dead men are members of the Zhen-
tarim and the Xanathar Guild, since violent encounters
between the two factions are becoming ever more fre-
quent. While his constables search the warehouse, Cap-
tain Staget questions the characters.
Captain Staget is an uptight man who helps keep the
peace in the Dock Ward. Every shopkeeper, guild mem-
ber. innkeeper. and tavern keeper in the Dock Ward
knows him, and most respect him regardless of their
opinions of the City Watch in general. Staget doesn't
believe in rumors or gossip, he doesn't drink, and he
doesn't let anger get the better of him. His job is to curb
the violence in the Dock Ward, but he has been dragging
his heels. After all, he reasons, if the Xanathar Guild
and the Zhentarim want to destroy each other, why
not let them?
Staget once had the warehouse under surveillance,
but elected to pull the detail to bolster patrols through-
out the Dock Ward-a decision he now regrets. That sur-
veillance was part of an attempt to catch a known Zhent
instigator named Urstul Floxin, a "big fish'' rumored
to be responsible for much of the recent strife. Staget
doesn't share this information with strangers.
Staget and Renaer recognize each other, though they
a ren't well acquainted. The involvement of a Neverem-
ber noble prompts the captain to be on his best behavior.
He is prepared to overlook any crimes committed by the
characters as long as Renaer is with them, but he gives
them a folded sheet of parchment with the Code Legal
written on it and encourages them to read it. (Give the
players a copy of the Code Legal handout in appendix C,
if you haven't done so already.)
If the characters ask for the Watch's help in locating
Floon. Staget makes it clear that he won't send a force
into the sewers in search of someone who might well
be a Zhent or Xanathar Guild spy. If they appear intent
on involving themselves further in the conflict between
the Zhentarim and the Xanathar Guild. Staget imparts
some free advice before letting them go:
- "Best not to meddle in criminal matters. Leave this
dirty business to the City Watch."
"Not all City Watch officers are as nice as me."
"Keep the blood off the streets, okay?" (This is a
common saying among City Watch officials, who care
more about what happens in the city above than what
happens in the sewers below.)
Characters who stir up trouble in the Dock Ward are
likely to run into Captain Staget again. Though he is
secretly pleased to have adventurers doing some of his
work for him, he can't let them overshadow his own
efforts to keep the peace without risking a reprimand
from his superiors.
Tracking Floon
At this point, the characters likely know that F loon was
kidnapped by Xanatha r Guild members who mistook
him for Renaer Neverember, and that he was taken to a
hideout in the sewers. If the characters didn't learn from
the kenku where Floon was taken, asking questions of
the locals can reveal that many people saw him being
dragged off. A successful DC^15 Intelligence (Investi-
gation) check or 5 gp in bribes allows the characters
to trace the kidnappers' path through back alleys to a
circular metal cover inset in the pavement. T he cover is
easily lifted, revealing a ladder down into the sewers.NAVIGATING T H E SEWER S
The sewers have no natural light. Characters without
darkvision need light sources to see.A putrid stream flows along this sewer tunnel, which
leads in two directions. In one direction, you see a tiny
symbol drawn on the wall in yellow chalk: a palm-sized
circle with ten equidistant spokes radiating out from its
circumference.The hideout of the Xanathar Guild operatives who
snatched up Floon is deep in the city's labyrinthine sew-
ers. At every location where characters must make a de-
cision about which direction to go, a symbol scrawled in
yellow chalk- a stylized representation of Xanathar- is
marked next to the tunnel that leads in the right direc-
tion. The symbols are erased by members of the Xana-
thar Guild or the Dungsweepers' Guild every few days,
but these markings have yet to be removed.GAZER GUARD
Before arriving at the Xanathar Guild hideout, the char-
acters have an encounter in the sewers:After an hour of following signs through the tunnels,
you come to a three-way intersection where a ladder
leads up into a stone shaft capped by a circular metal
cover. One of the familiar chalk symbols is marked on a
wall nearby, and floating near the symbol is a spherical,
grapefruit-sized creature with a bulging central eye and
four stumpy eyestalks. It bares its teeth at you.A hostile gaze r (see appendix B) that is in league with
Grum'shar, the local Xanathar Guild boss, guards this
intersection. Once the characters defeat it, they can
press on, following the corridor where the chalk symbol
is located; they reach the hideout after following the cor-
rect tunnel for 5 minutes.
Ladder. Characters who climb the ladder and push
open the metal cover find themselves in the cellar of the
Spouting Fish, a tavern in the Dock Ward.C HAPTER I I A FRIEND IN NEED