The new day began with the team immediately setting out to tackle some of the quests laid before their team... First, they had to investigate the scene of the string of murders in the Dock Ward, as part of a task assigned to Yuan by Davil Starsong, the leader of the "good" Zhentarim. Second, they would have to track down Maxeene the talking horse, who is secretly a Harper spy, for Ray's quest, assigned to him by Mirt, a member of the Harpers. Ray planned ahead by buying some apples from a local fruit market to try and get on Maxeene's good side later. Ray discovered through Threestrings that while he doesn't know Maxeene's routes, he might ask the Fellowship of Carters and Coachmen, who handle all manner of conveyance throughout the city. They're located at the Road House in the Southern Ward. The team decided they would swing by there later and set off for the docks to investigate the murders first. However, there were a few... missteps along the way. Despite Yuan's inability to read the newspaper and Ray not getting along too well with the locals, Enigma was able to map out the area and locate the many taverns of the Dock Ward, while Sigurd was able to find the locations of the recent murders by investigating the local broadsheets; they were all done at taverns that had alleys nearby, were open late, and are popular with elves. Of about ten taverns in the area, they were able to pin the location to the Muleskull Tavern, which hadn't been hit yet, but met all the criteria. It was all too likely that, following the pattern of the killer, they would strike here next! Next, they would investigate the tavern itself - looking to set up a potential ambush and other useful clues that might help them catch the killer. While the others weren't able to really figure anything out (especially with Enigma getting lost and accidentally investigating the entirely wrong tavern...), Yuan was able to scan the crowd and pick out a likely mark, tracking down a braggart half-elf by the name of Heldar, an off-duty sailor, who was drunk out of his mind. Someone like this, would be an all too easy mark for a trained killer, so the party kept a close eye on him and kept him company for some time. Ray managed to swap his drink with water without Heldar noticing, and then asked some of the more friendlier locals to keep an eye on him, which they agreed. Once Enigma finally got his directions correct, he was able to better map out the local area and skulk around the location a bit, looking for potential alleys and spots where the killer might strike. The team had gathered enough information for now - but the hour wasn't quite right. They would return, soon enough, to watch Heldar leave the tavern, while they would go visit the Roadhouse... Ray struck up a conversation with the proprietor and asked if he could speak to Maxeene, under the pretense of having never talked to a talking horse. Of course, not many people have, but the proprietor was a bit skeptical of Ray's intentions. Ray, reluctantly, showed his Harper pin, which the proprietor recognized - many people were sympathetic to the Harpers' cause. He agreed upon seeing this and allowed the characters to visit the stables to wait for Maxeene to return. Ray was able to meet with Maxeene and her driver, and after a bit of coaxing, was able to get Maxeene to talk... Apparently, Maxeene had overheard a conversation two days ago from a group she picked up, consisting of a noblewoman, a half-orc butler/bodyguard, and a thuggish-looking heavy set man wearing dark clothing, though she doesn't remember which intersection. The woman and the thug man talked about some kind of missing magic stone and making a deal with the Zhentarim! She dropped them off at a villa in the North Ward late in the evening. With the mission complete, Ray thanked Maxeene with the apples he had picked up and combed her mane before the team departed back to the Muleskull Tavern to keep an eye out for Heldar... Waiting until late in the evening, they spotted him leaving the tavern at dark. It was hard to see, as a lot of the lights in the Dock Ward were broken, although this wasn't a problem for the half-elves since they could see in the dark like Yuan and Ray could. Following them about for a bit, they heard a loud crash as someone stumbled out of the alley (thanks to a natural 1 Stealth...) and brazenly lunged at Heldar! The team quickly sprung into action, Enigma lighting a torch to help light the way, and combat ensues! While Heldar staggers about drunkenly, totally unaware of the danger he is in, Sigurd manages to throw a magic flask of grease at the assassin's feet, causing them to slip and fall onto the ground, opening up a chance for Enigma to deal some damage. While he wasn't able to strike with his staff, he showed off his new prowess by laying into the assassin with two quick unarmed strikes! The assassin quickly sprang to their feet and struck back at Enigma, focusing his efforts on defending himself now, shouting epithets in Undercommon and Elven, and managed to cut Enigma fiercely, but Ray was there to heal the damage. Yuan then stepped in, bringing his primal fury to bear and lashed at the assassin with a powerful swing of his own. Enigma noticed something peculiar about the assassin during the fight, though - he spotted a pin that signified he wasn't belonging to either the Zhentarim or the Xanathar, and that he was packing heat, in the form of a FUCKING GUN, which he proceeded to use to blast Yuan with. Not only was the shot itself fierce, but it came packed with poison, but thankfully Yuan was buff enough to handle it - such an attack would have floored almost anyone else... Sigurd managed to catch the assassin off-guard by smashing a vial of corrosive substance across his face, and the assassin decided enough was enough; he attempted to flee into the darkness. However, Yuan and Sigurd got the better of him with a few opportunistic strikes before the team went and chased him down. Yuan managed to cut the drow assassin off in the alley, puffing up and roaring in his face, scaring the assassin stiff before he turned, tried to flee... and was finished off by the acidic damage from Sigurd's spell, faceplanting into the ground. Ray, being Ray, rushed over to try and keep the man from dying, and Enigma stepped in to help, sparing the assassin's life. However, Sigurd said they need to leave the Docks now, before the City Watch shows up. Thinking quickly, he stuffs the assassin into his Bag of Holding temporarily so they can leave the scene - though he has to pull him back out every now and again to prevent him from suffocating inside the bag. The team is able to evacuate the scene safely before the City Watch shows up to investigate, avoiding another likely prickly encounter with the local Watch captain, Hyustus Staget. The team is able to make it safely back to the Yawning Portal as Sigurd sorts through the loot; the pistol is of Lantanese origin, with Lantan being a very technologically advanced country. Smokepowder is used to load the weapon to allow it to propel its bullets; however, the substance is technically illegal in Waterdeep except in the hands of city authorities. In addition to the assassin's other nonmagical gear, Sigurd discerns the boots the assassin are drow-made Boots of Elvenkind! They allow someone to move around much more silently. However, there's a catch, due to the way they were made, the boots will lose their magic if exposed to sunlight for too long. Sigurd explains this is likely due to the fact that drow would rather not have their gear fall into surface dwellers' hands, and thus this limitation prevents such folks from using them easily. And, indeed, Enigma is able to confirm that the pin he found belongs to the Bregan D'aerthe faction, signifying this drow works for none other than Jarlaxle Baenre, the eccentric drow iconoclast. With that, the team is able to finally get some rest, and prepare for the next day - it's going to be an early morning, as they must meet with the Dungsweepers' Guild for Enigma's quest in the Lords' Alliance... Who were the mysterious figures riding in the dray being pulled by Maxeene? What do they know about the Stone of Golorr? Will there be any retaliation from Bregan D'aerthe...? Find out next time... in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist!!