The party wakes up in the morning of Shieldmeet to find out several things have transpired. For starters, Ray seemed... awfully different this morning. His skin had taken on a more scaley texture and his hands even had grown retractable claws, much to Mulaag's delight, after Sigurd managed to figure out what was going on after a cursory observation. It looks like Zelifarn's advice might have been on point after all... In addition, Enigma seems to have developed his mental talents further by use of a sometimes-invisible hand that could manipulate objects from a distance. A form of telekinesis, perhaps? And lastly, Yuan was looking in even better physical shape than before, looking tougher and bulkier. The results of the rigors of the past month or so have finally borne fruit for the adventurers... well, Sigurd maybe improved in some way, but it wasn't clear what it was. In any case, Xalvador, the staff supervisor, brings them up to speed on current events. Lorelei didn't report to work today. She was here during the Midsummer Festival, and it's unclear what has happened. He checked with the records at the Fellowship of Innkeepers and found an address, but it was found to be a vacant lot. Marcellus tells them the information he found out through his Harper contacts on behalf of Renaer. although he admits that the information might not terribly useful now since everything that's happened - that the man seen fleeing the scene of the fireball was definitely Urstul Floxin, someone saw him entering Gralhund Villa since he seemed suspicious, and the Watch sent some constables to check it out, but Lord Gralhund assured that nothing had been going on and everything was fine. The Watchmen had no justification to get a warrant, so they didn't pursue the matter. However, more importantly, he gave them a broadsheet from the Vigitant Citizen written by none other than Penny Mightblade, which detailed the fireball scene and the Gralhund Villa Bloodbath. "Attention, citizens! A terrible tragedy struck the North Ward recently as eleven people were killed in what appears to be a magical fireball explosion, just between the Song and Spirit Tavern and the Corellon's Crown herbalism shop! The Watch is furiously hitting the cobblestone to find the culprit behind the attack and are looking for a wooden puppet-like figure as the prime suspect, according to local witnesses. If such a figure is seen, citizens are advised to report it to the Watch immediately and do not engage, as the suspect is considered extremely dangerous! Among the dead were agents of the Zhentarim, and it is suspected this attack may be the result of the gang war currently still ongoing between the Xanathar's Guild and the Zhentarim, though no solid connection to the Xanathar can be made from any of the victims. While things seemed quiet during the month of Flamerule, it appears that the Midsummer festival now has a grim footnote. Local authorities have ruled out any residents in Trollskull Alley as part of the attack, given the proximity to their place of business, but you can never be too careful! Anybody you know could be an agent of a criminal organization, so exercise caution! In addition, later that night, the Watch raided Gralhund Villa after receiving reports of suspicious activity and violence. An investigation lead by Watch sergeant Saeth Cromley found a massacre of a scene, as several Gralhund servants and guards were found murdered alongside that of many agents of the Zhentarim. The Gralhunds' account of the situation reported that the Gralhunds were being held hostage for more than a tenday by agents of the Black Network. Most of the Zhentarim were killed during a bloody revolt led by Lord Orond Gralhund himself! The Zhentarim leader and wanted criminal Urstul Floxin was found unconscious and arrested for several counts of murder and is being held for questioning. Lady Yalah Gralhund has denied that any other groups were involved in the situation. In addition, due to the pair of incidents, the Watch is cracking down hard on the Black Network and is on the lookout for any agents of the organization. Anybody with information is requested to come forward immediately to the nearest Watch post. Stay vigilant, citizens!" Enigma was less than pleased, and the idea that Orond was being depicted as a hero when the characters knew the truth was, at the least, amusing. Following on this, Xalvador also delivered a letter to the characters, which was unsigned, but based on what it said, and the anger it was written in, it was clear who wrote it. "I've come to learn that you have spoken to my significant other and that some of my associates saw some individuals matching your description. I also understand you were responsible for dealing with the one who instigated the incident. For that, you have my thanks, although I'm certain that you weren't intending to do it for my benefit. I'm writing this letter because you know things you should not. Consider this letter a truce of sorts, that if you decide not to speak about what you saw and heard, I won't tell anyone else about what you did, and I'll leave your other friends alone. Let's put this in the past where it belongs and move on. Do not attempt to contact me, and pray our paths do not cross again." Clearly, this was Yalah Gralhund's attempt to ensure that information about her dealings with the Zhentarim weren't leaked, and she was willing to let the characters' intrusions and actions slide assuming they didn't spill the beans on the situation. It looks like based on this and the newspaper report - which Sigurd mentioned that it was likely a lot of those facts were statements made to Watch officials due to the Vigilant Citizen's tendency to check with them for information - the Gralhunds managed to completely cover up everything that happened and make themselves look like the victims in the process, more or less absolving the characters of any crime, assuming they kept their mouths shut about what they saw and heard. Following this, Yuan was waved over by a familiar face. Yagra Stonefist, his ally and friend in the Zhentarim, let him in on some bad news. Davil Starsong, his current boss, was hauled in this morning by the City Watch, following their crackdown on the Black Network due to the recent spat of incidents involving the Zhentarim. While they both knew Davil wasn't involved, it's likely his prominent visage in the organization is what might have landed him in a holding cell. When Yuan asked if there was anything they can do, Yagra advised against it - she was sure Davil's winning personality and non-involvement in the Gralhund villa incident would see him released, but it might be a few tendays before that happens. For the time being, leadership of the team is being managed by Tashlyn Yafeera, the Master of Arms and Mercenaries, so Yuan and Yagra will be reporting to her for the time being. She mentioned that as far as she knew, the other leaders of the organization - Istrid, Ziraj, and Skeemo - were fine, but she advised it would probably be a good idea to maintain a low profile for a while to avoid being questioned by the City Watch, which Yuan agreed to. She also handed him a letter which was given to her by Istrid, but she was unaware of the contents. Yuan read the letter and it read as follows "We need to talk. I would like to know more about what happened at Gralhund Villa. If you can spare the time, meet me at Ahghairon's Statue in the City of the Dead at highsun tomorrow. You'll be paid generously for your time and trouble. —Istrid Horn " Yuan considered the possibility that this letter might be forged, but examining the handwriting and his knowledge of Istrid's lending operation, having seen her writing on several documents, including the loan notice that Emmek Frewn had with her, he was sure that it was the real deal. After thanking her and the two of them having a heart to heart to stick together through this mess, Yagra departed from the tavern after telling Yuan to look after himself. Looks like the team had a full plate of activities to look forward to, on top of looking for the Nimblewrong which might be in possession of the Stone of Golorr... they decided to start with the search for their missing employee, Lorelei, by heading to the Fellowship Hall, the headquarters for the Fellowship of Innkeepers in Waterdeep, and checking in with Broxley Fairkettle, the tavern's contact for all such matters. When Ray inquired, Broxley checked and noticed Lorelei had a previous address and a current address, but showed concerned when he was told she did not report in. He apologized for the inconvenience and offered to put out a missing person report to the Watch and have a replacement sent if the team needed it, which seemed a bit inhumane to Enigma's opinion but Ray explained that there's not really a whole lot else he can do given the circumstances. He did give the previous address, which the team visited, while also searching for the Nimblewrong on the way, through the Castle District, though came up short. They found a nice home with a single older woman living there, who explained she was Lorelei's mother and was very excited to hear that Lorelei had contact with someone, but the team brought the news she didn't show up for work. The mother explained that several months ago, Lorelei left in a huff wanting to make something of herself and had a falling out with her mother, and left the household and was never seen again. Lorelei didn't have any gang affiliations that her mother was aware of and had no idea what had happened. When Ray asked if there was anything she would like to say to her daughter if they find her, she simply asked to say that her mother misses her and loves her very much, and she's always welcome back home, no questions asked, if she chooses to do so. The team thanked her for the time and left, continuing to the previous address in the Trades Ward. It was here that they got interrupted by the Nimblewright Detector going off. Ray followed the signal as it got louder and more frantic, eventually tracking it to a pile of uncollected garbage in a side alley off the street. As Ray took to hiding, and Enigma poked it with his telekinesis, the nimblewrong arose from the trash, and brandished its blades, ready to fight! However, Ray, who was hiding from the shadows, had the jump on it and shot it with his crossbow. However, despite the shot connecting, it seemed to be rather ineffective, resisting the strike... With Enigma on high throwing javelins and psychic energy, and Sigurd and Io taking swings at it, the nimblewrong seemed almost impossible to take down by convenitional means. That's when Ray pulled out a rather unconventional attack and hit it with a newfound spell, Shatter, to clobber the inorganic man in a cacophony of noise. It worked excellently, which sent the nimblewrong into a frenzy and singled out Ray for punishment! Yuan didn't take kindly to this, and puffed up in rage, which sent a random shockwave of energy through his greataxe, imbuing it with power and causing it to feel as light as a feather. Deftly, he approached the nimblewrong and swung at it fiercely, landing a solid hit that sent it reeling with force damage, cutting past its natural defenses. Even despite this, the nimblewrong was already fixated on Ray and taking swings at him, thankfully his new dragon scales were deflecting most of the damage away. Enigma played cautiously, preferring to keep his distance against this unnatural foe, but Yuan gave it no quarter and smashed it with his axe, sending the nimblewrong flying against the nearby city building wall and sending pieces flying everywhere. It had been destroyed, as ordered by Valetta. With that done, the team took to looking around a bit for clues. Ray found some kind of parchment on the nimblewrong with a cipher code, but no stone... However, Enigma found something much more sinister - a gazer had been spying on these events from the rooftops, and the two inadvertently were face to face with one another! Before it could do anything, though, Enigma immediately squashed it with his warpick and a flurry of strikes that sent the grapefruit eyeball thing to the ground with a splat. When it was all said and done, some City Watch constables approached the scene, having heard the violence and asked what was going on. With Enigma clearing the air with his Lords' Alliance position and showing what had happened, the Watchmen brushed it off (as constructs and abominations have no rights to speak of) and simply told them to cause no more mischief. Enigma got the sense that these guys were near the end of their shift and just wanted to go home, and so they left in a hurry. Ray questioned if something could be done with the gazer, knowing that some times monster parts could be used to craft items. Sigurd decided to take a look and was able to collect the four eyestalks which were intact from the gazer. That was about all he would be able to get though as the rest was too damaged to salvage. He wasn't especially pleased about this, but he thought maybe he could make something out of it, having studied in the ways of alchemy. He also collected the nimblewrong parts, as part of Valetta's request. It was probably better left not mentioning the irony of this to Yuan who didn't seem to notice the exchange.. In any case, with that done, they carried on their way to Lorelei's current address, which they found was an abandoned lot. Apparently, nobody had lived here for at least a month and everything was cleared out. Sigurd questioned if she ever lived here at all, which made the rest wonder why she would give a seemingly false address. These answers seem to only give more questions as well... The team, with the nimblewrong parts in tow, returned to Valetta to cash in their quest. She thanked them, quite heavily, with 500 gold dragons worth in trade bars, and a collection of weird, nigh-useless contraptions, which Sigurd took delight in, also being a tinkerer. After an awkward, cute exchange, Sigurd bolted out of the temple as his friends followed behind. With nothing left to do, they went back to the tavern to rest for the day as Ahghairon's Day rolled around, and festivities were in full swing. They worked hard to prepare the tavern for Laeral Silverhand's arrival, which albeit likely brief, made Enigma incredibly nervous! However, before that, they decided to heed Istrid's call for a meeting and went out to the City of the Dead to talk with her as planned, meeting at Ahghairon's statue, where guests left violets and other flowers as they celebrated and picnicked in Waterdeep's cemetery parkland. At the statue's base was a dwarf clad in plate armor, none other than Istrid Horn. Istrid greeted them and thanked them for visiting her before imparting her request - she confessed that she was worried that her moneylending operation was going to get found out by the Watch, and she needed to lie low for a little while, asking the party if she could hide out in their tavern. The team seemed reluctant, but they recalled that Istrid had helped them out with the Frewn's Brews situation, and she insisted to Yuan that he has to help her out. She provided the team ten suns (platinums) just for meeting with her, and promised forty more after - twenty once a deal was struck, and twenty more once the tenday had passed. She was clearly desperate and needing this badly... With some reluctance, and Sigurd pointing out that not only did she help them, they could use an extra set of hands with Lorelei's disappearance, Yuan agreed, and she said they'd hardly know she was there, racing off to the tavern. When the team met her there later, Xalvador congratulated them for finding a replacement worker so quickly before Ahghairon's Day festivities kicked off, and found that a male dwarf named Jorn had taken up chores at the tavern. It didn't take a genius to realize this was Istrid in disguise.. the disguise was quite good at least! How will the team handle Laeral's arrival at the tavern? How will Istrid comport herself over the next tenday? And just where exactly did the Stone of Golorr end up? Find out next time... on Waterdeep: Dragon Heist!!