The Founder's Day festival is well under way on the first day of Flamerule. While Yuan was out celebrating and catching up with his old buddy Phames, the rest of the team were approached by Jalester Silvermane, normally not the most outgoing of people, to join him in heading to the Field of Triumph to see the festivities. The team agreed, and Jalester concealed his Badge of the Watch, wanting to go incognito, for he had a secondary purpose at the festival - looking out for con artists. This year, the Founder's Day festival was handing out some rather excellent prizes for doing well in the events, and it would be easy for someone to potentially try and sell fakes to people who were untalented and gullible enough to fall for their schemes. However, the team would instead find success through legitimate means, as they participated in the various events throughout the day. First up was the weapon demo event. This was run by the City Guard, and was a contest where competitors would show off their performance talent with weaponry and demonstrate their martial skill. The big prize this year was a fully trained and equipped riding horse, trained by the City Guard. Horses were a prized commodity in Waterdeep as it made navigating the city's streets much easier than doing so on foot, and were rather expensive to boot, so it was also a sign of status. Up first was Ray, and while he wasn't a fan of fighting, he had an incredible flair for performance. Unfortunately, everything seemed to go utterly wrong when he managed to accidentally shoot himself with his own crossbow while attempting a tricky maneuver and fell off the stage. Enigma and Jalester performed as well and were able to earn themselves a few prizes, but it was Sigurd who stole the stage with his mixed style of martial and magical skill, earning himself the grand prize and the adoration of his peers (and perhaps adding to his growing list of jealous rivals). Taking some time to partake in the free food being offered to competitors, Jalester and Enigma talked a bit about the event. Jalester, looking a bit forlorn, was asked by Enigma what was on his mind, and he admitted that this was the first time he'd been to the event without his longtime friend, Faerrel Dunblade. This was part of the reason why he asked Enigma to come with him - he didn't think he could bear it if he went alone. He mentioned he's participated in these events a few times in the past, doing fairly well in the martial exhibition, but held those good memories close even though the one he loved was no longer with him. Up next was the costume contest, where competitors dressed as historical figures from Waterdeep's history. When Sigurd pointed out that most of those figures were human, though, he pointed to Jalester to use as a guinea pig, who readily agreed - he suggested they ought to try and dress up as Elminster, the Sage of Shadowdale. With Sigurd supplying the historical information, Enigma completing the disguise and Ray doing a performance to elevate 'Elminster' on a metaphorical pedestal, the act was so outstanding that many City Guard (whom Elminster was in charge of, and is actually still alive to this day apparently) kneeled to him, thinking the real Elminster had actually come to the event! While that wasn't quite the case, the team performed so well that they won some more excellent prizes and a collection of tickets to see the stageplay The Fall of Tiamat at the swanky Lightsinger Theatre in the fancy boxseats. Jalester lent Enigma the Pipe of Remembrence he had won, who used it to highlight some events of his family's history, effectively sharing his own stories from his home world, and while he didn't have much, he enjoyed what he had. Jalester remarked that even so he might like to see this place one day when things calm down here in Waterdeep. He allowed Enigma to keep the pipe as a gift - the pipe was in fact shaped to represent the one that Elminster had used himself quite often, so it was rather fitting. Later on, the team got to see the Sea Maidens Faire parade, being lead by the eccentric Zardoz Zord, and saw that the captured displacer beast was being treated well, despite being simply used as a showpiece. They also had mages working their illusions in the street, veiling several buildings in the much older style of architecture that predated Waterdeep. Speaking of which, the final event soon began, which was the Castle of Waterdeep being veiled to represent the old military fortress of Nimoar, complete with guards in furs and pelts much like the original tribes that had settled here during the 900s DR. It was here that Nimoar's followers repelled the orc tribes that had attempted to take the settlement. Imagine if the orcs had won - there might not have ever been a Waterdeep at all! As the festivities wound down, Ray managed to run into Marcellus, Renaer and 'Maxwell' leaving the Field of Triumph, and they talked about their participation in the events. While Ray wasn't too pleased with his failure in the weapon demo, he was quite happy to be able to go back to Lightsinger soon, and Marcellus hinted he might have a role in the upcoming stageplay, which was to be held on the last day of the Sornyn festival. Renaer also remarked he loved going to the theatre and would hopefully see Ray there. However, the reunion was shortlived as Renaer mentioned they had come with Mirt, who seems to have gotten himself lost somewhere, likely out on a drunken lark somewhere, and bid the team farewell (not before Maxwell winked at Ray in a suspiciously familiar manner...) Starting to head home, the team caught wind of something being off, when Jalester overheard some arguing in the streets. Fearing that it might be gang-related, Jalester opted to investigate and the team soon followed, learning that it was a Xanathar gang consisting of bandits and bugbears roughing up some poor man, being lead by a tough looking tattoo'd dwarf with a crossbow for a hand. When Enigma swooped over with his Flight of Karnage to take a look, though, he accidentally slipped on the roof tiling of the nearby building, immediately alerting the entire cadre of thugs and being placed under fire by crossbow bolts and javelins, and removing himself from the scene. Jalester wasted no time jumping into the fray, followed by Sigurd and his steel defender, as a massive brawl broke out between the thugs and the party! Ray was having a bad time keeping concentration on his magic as he kept being disrupted by a stray bolt or javelin, eventually settling on using Enlarge on Jalester to give the enemy what-for. However, luck turned against the team as Io was downed around the corner trying to stop a flanking attack from taking place and Enigma was left confronting some enemies on his own. The team was being picked apart by the Xanathar Guild and looks like they might be heading for defeat when the City Watch, likely having been alerted by bystanders, swooped in. The dwarf ringleader noticed the alarm and decided to pull out, not taking his chance, and absconded through the nearby sewer grate, which Jalester warned the team not to follow as there's no way of knowing what might be down there and the Watch won't follow, and to focus on the remaining enemies. Ray was able to put to sleep the remaining bandits as Enigma dispatched the last bugbear and the team managed to emerge victorious, barely. As they took some time to recover, and once the City Watch had processed the arrest of the surviving gang members under Jalester's direction, they approached the man who was being assaulted. However, the team found him to be entirely eccentric and perhaps afflicted with some sort of madness as much of what he said didn't make much sense. The 'Eyeballs" were looking for "Snakes in the Grass" he had said. Ray was able to talk to him a bit more and learn that apparently Xanathar members were on the lookout for Zhentarim members, and thought this guy must have been one. "What do you take me for, some kind of [Big Shot]?" the bizarre man (Stating his name to be 'The Gai') said. "I don't associate with [Flying Silly String]!" Jalester opted to take the man in for questioning to ascertain his allegiances, though he seemed skeptical on the man's identity, and split off from the team to head back to the nearby Watch post with the other guards, allowing the team to slip back to Trollskull for the evening and report his findings later. Who is the mysterious Gai? What secrets might he be hiding under his insanity? Did Yuan have any better luck with his old pal Phames? What else lies in store for the team as the opening of the tavern approaches? Find out this and more next time, on Waterdeep: Dragon Heist!!