When the children see the characters for the first
time, their interest is piqued. The children fancy them-
selves adventurers of sorts, and they are quick to idol-
ize and emulate real-life ones. Squiddly even has the
audacity to hurl a snowball at one of them (+O bonus to
hit). The children know who Agorn Fuoco is because he
used to Jive and play music in Mistshore. They offer to
lead characters to his mother's residence.
MOTHER AND SON
Pick one of the unmarked buildings on map 4.2 to serve
as the Fuoco residence. Agorn Fuoco (NE male Turami
bard; see appendix B) is inside, trying to smother his
bedridden mother, Marta (N female Turami human
commoner with 1 hit point), with a sack she uses as a
pillowcase. With tears born of joy and sadness stream-
ing down his face, Agorn is cutting loose his old family
ties and embracing his new family: the Zhentarim. The
characters can stop him from committing matricide by
pulling him away from his mother before she suffocates.
Agorn was moved to perpetrate this act by the play he
saw at the theater and by his lady friend, Amath Sercent,
to whom he entrusted the Stone ofGolorr. He won't give
up her location willingly, though magic can be used to
pry the information from his lips. Characters can also
speak to the hire-coach driver. Rowan Evenwood, who
dropped off Agorn's lady friend before transporting
Agoro to Mistshore. Amath lives in an old tower in the
Castle Ward called Yellowspire.Z HENTS IN THE WrND
As the characters leave the Fuoco residence, with or
without Agorn as their prisoner, they a re surrounded
by nine Zhentarim thugs. The thugs fight to the death
while Agorn tries to escape. If he gets away, the charac-
ters might encounter him again in chapter 8.
As the Zhents attack and Agorn attempts to flee, the
characters bear a child's scream coming from the oppo-
site direction. Through the blowing snow, they can see
that one of the urchins, Jenks, has fallen through a thin
patch of ice and is in dange r of sinking to the bottom of
the harbor. His two friends are trying to pull him out of
the hole, but he's too heavy. The children are roughly 30
feet away. A character within arm's reach of Jenks can
use an action to try to pull the boy from the cold water,
doing so with a successful DC 11 Strength (Athletics)
check. If no adult comes toJenks's aid within 1 minute
of his falling through the ice, he sinks below the surface
and begins to drown as the cold water overcomes him.
If the characters find themselves outmatched by the
Zhents, help comes in two forms. Two Harper spies
sent by Remallia Haventree (see appendix B) appear
on the scene. Their names are Salazar Lorrance (CG
male Tethyrian human) and Mavia Oxlander (NG female
Chondathan human). If the battle doesn't turn quickly in
the party's favor, Grinda Garloth (see area 02) appears
and uses her magic to aid them.NEXT ENCOUNTER
Armed with information from Agorn Fuoco or his hire-
coach driver, the characters might feel compelled to pay
a visit to Yellowspire in the Castle Ward. Proceed with
encounter 7, "Old Tower:·CHAPTER. 4 I DRAGON SEASONEncounter 3: Street Chase
For this encounter, use the chase rules and the Urban
Chase Complications table in chapter 8 of the Dungeon
Master's Guide. The chase plays out as a "theater of the
mind" experience. Consequently, you don't need a map
to run the encounter. The chase occurs outdoors, so be
mindful of any weather effects in play.STREET CHA SE: SPRING
A kenku in cahoots with theXanathar Guild has the
Stone of Golorr and is running th rough the streets with
it. The kenku is 60 feet away from the characters at the
start of the chase.
If at any point the kenku is incapacitated, another
kenku previously bidden by the rain or fog joins the
chase, acting next in the initiative count. It suddently
appears, snatches the stone, and flees with it.NEXT ENCOUNTER
When the characters are close to catching the kenku, or
when you want the chase to end, the creature ducks into
an old tower. Proceed with encounter 7, "Old Tower."STREET CHA SE: SUMMER
The characters are pursuing Lord Cassalanter's doppel-
ganger valet, Willifort, as he flees in a hire-coach or on
foot. The chase takes place on crowded streets, in front
of agog spectators.
[f you haven't been tracking the distance between the
doppelganger and the characters, assume the charac-
ters are 120 feet away from their quarry at the start of
the chase if Willi fort is traveling by hire-coach, or 60
feet away if the doppelganger is on foot. The hire-coach
has an initiative modifier of +O, and Willifort moves with
it. A creature in the hire-coach doesn't need to roll on
the Urban Chase Complications table on its turn.CROWDED STREET
If Willi fort flees in a hire-coach, his getaway is thwarted
on the third round of the chase when a large crowd
blocks the road. forcing the hire-coach to stop. (If the
chase occurs on Founders' Day, the crowd is part of the
holiday celebration.) The doppelganger jumps out of the
hire-coach on his next turn and makes his way th rough
the crowd on foot.
Any creature in the crowd has half cover, and any at-
tack that misses the creature because of the cover hits
an innocent commoner instead.
If Willi fort is incapacitated, a raven abrubtly swoops
down, acting next in the initiative count. It snatches the
stone and flees with it. This raven is a shapechanged
imp that works for Lady Cassalanter.STREET URCHINS
The chase ends when three street urchins (see "The
Three Urchins," page 63) steal the stone, either by
pickpocketing it from the doppelganger or by shooting a
toy arrow at the raven and causing it to drop the stone.