Lords' A lliance. Open Lord Laeral Si.lverhand (see
appendix 8) arrives withjalester Silvermane (see
appendix 8) and six City Guard veterans to help charac-
ters secure the gold. Lacral's arrival forcesjarlaxle to be
on his best behavior. After assuring Laeral of his good
intentions.jarlaxle cuts his losses and withdraws peace-
fully. If she is able to speak with Aurinax. Laeral con-
vinces the dragon to relinquish the gold into her custody.
Order of the Gauntlet. Hlam (see appendix B) ar-
rives and aids the characters as best he can. He and
Aurinax met each other many years ago, and they are
on fair speaking terms. Aurinax is fond of the monk.
and characters who negotiate with the dragon in Hlam·s
presence gain advantage on their Charisma (Persua-
sion) checks.
Zhentarim. The Doom Raiders (see appendix B)
arrive to help secure the vault, less any members who
have been arrested or killed. If Manshoon is the main
villain, Skeemo Wcirdbotlle betrays his fellow Doom
Raiders and fights a longside Manshoon's s imulacrum. If
they and the characters emerge victorious. the surviving
Doom Raiders propose to split the take evenly with the
characters. If the characters refuse this offer and the
Doom Raiders outnumber them, the Zhents turn against
them. putting characters who are Zhentarim members
in a predicament.
Adventure Conclusion
The adventure could play out in any of several ways,
depending on who gets the gold and what's done with
the treasure.
DYING IN THE VAULT
If the characters die in the Vault of Dragons with the
Stone ofGolorr and the main villain doesn't know the
vault's location, the secrets of the vault die with them.
Though they succumbed in the process, they succeeded
in keeping the gold out of the villain's clutches- a bitter-
sweet victory, indeed.REMOVING THE GOLD
If the characters recover Ncvcrcmber's hoard and keep
it for themselves, word gets out eventually.
Emissaries of the Harpers, the Lords' Alliance, and
the Order of the Gauntlet come lo the characters, asking
that the gold be returned to Waterdeep. If the characters
refuse to give it up, they arc stripped of any member-
ships they might hold in these factions and quickly find
themselves in political hot water. The Lords of Water-
deep charge them with the crime of robbery against the
citizens of the city. The characters face up to 1 month of
hard labor plus damages equal lo the value of the stolen
currency plus 500 gp. If they try to flee the city, the City
Guard apprehends and imprisons them. If they some-
how evade the local authorities, the Harpers and agents
of the Lords' Alliance pursue them tirelessly.CHAPTER 4 I OR.AGON Sl':ASONLaeral Silverhand is prepared to let the characters
keep one-tenth of the treasure (50,000 gp) for them-
selves. Even that much coin attracts unwanted attention,
in the form of several people who beg loans or donations
from them:- Emmek Frewn (sec "Business Rival: Emrnek Frewn."
page 42) needs 1.500 gp to pay off a loan with in-
terest. If he doesn't repay the coin in a tenday. Istri d
Horn (see appendix B) sends Zhentarim thugs to
threaten. if not hurt, him. Emmek comes to the char-
acters with hat in hand, preying on their generosity
while denying any wrongdoing on his part. - Davil Starsong (see appendix 8) asks the characters
for a donation of 5,000 gp to keep his branch of the
Zhentarim anoat in Waterdeep. Recent altercations
and legal issues have drained the Doom Raiders' cof-
fers. If the c haracters refuse, the Doom Raiders are
driven out of the city, yielding control of the Zhentarim
in Waterdeep to Mans hoon (if he's alive). - Floon Blagmaar (see appendix 8) asks the characters
to give him 500 gp to cover a hefty gambling debt. If
the c haracters refuse to give Floon the gold, he van-
ishes without a trace ldlO days later. - Volothamp Geddarm (see appendix B) asks the
characters for 5,000 gp to fund an expedition that he
hopes will inspire a future book, for which he'll give
them special mention in said masterwork. If the char-
acters seem hesitant. Volo reminds them that were it
not for his starting them off on this adventure, they
wouldn't have the gold in the first place. - Jelenn Urmbrusk. a Masked Lord in debt to Man-
shoon, requests an interest-free loan of 10.000 gp,
which she vows to repay within a year. In exchange,
she promises to use her "considerable inHuence with
the Lords of Waterdeep" to help them in the future. If
the characters oblige, she makes good on her prom-
ise to pay them back and grants them a special favor
(see "Marks of Prestige" in chapter 7 of the Dungeon
Master's Guide). If they refuse, they will have made an
enemy of the secret Masked Lord.
Temples, c harilies, guilds, and down-on-their-luck
strangers come knocking from time to time. What
they ask for isn't much- a few gold here and there-
but it all adds up.
ONWARD AND DOWNWARD
The characters should be 5th level by the end of this
adventure. In the weeks that follow, word of their deeds
spreads to every corner of Waterdeep. Finally, a note is
delivered to them that reads as follows:Undermountain beckons. See you at the Yawning Portal. I
If the characters want to explore Undermountain. you
can continue this campaign up through 20th level with
the book Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage.