Session 06: Dock Ward Double-Cross

The adventurers delved into a tomb underneath the City of the Dead only to be informed that there was no treasure at the end of their map, only their deaths at the hands of a powerful creature. But they were also told that this creature could prove to be a powerful ally as well...

Summary
Chomp, Kados and Viego met with a man inside the tomb they uncovered. The man revealed himself to be the legendary Baron of Blood. The Baron struck a deal with the adventurers, the Baron would spare the characters' lives and assist them in their own goals in exchange for finding the source of the maps that led the party to the baron's tomb and putting an end to their production. The Baron instructed the party to head to a tavern called The Splintered Stair in Dock Ward, they would order a garlic red ale and sit an unoccupied table to meet one of the Baron's field agents. The party set off towards Green's Rest in Dock Ward to rest and find more information about who left the map there the night before. At Green's Rest, the party encountered J.B. finishing up a meal of honeyed bread and mead. Neither J.B. nor the inn's proprietor could provide information about the map.

Meeting Azir
On their way to The Splintered Stair, the party encountered a man being surrounded and threatened by a group of drow. A fight eventually broke out between the two groups, the adventurers were able to easily overpower the drow but before they could finish them off, a magical darkness blanketed the area. When the darkness lifted, the party was surprised to see the familiar face of Benny. Benny saw the scuffle from afar and wanted to get a piece of the action. Although Benny joined the group, Viego noticed his coinpurse was empty and Kados was nowhere to be found.

Without any information to go on, the adventurers entered The Splintered Stair to meet with the Baron's agent and work towards finding Kados along the way. The party sat at the same table as the man they saved outside the tavern. A female genasi named Ez sat down with the adventurers and criticized them for not following orders by sitting at a fully occupied table. She instructed them to be more discreet in the future. The man the party met outside introduced himself as Azir, the man the Baron hired to initially root out the source of the maps.

Sussur and Squid Ink
The adventurers convinced Azir to team up with them on the Baron's orders. The newly formed team headed towards Castle Ward, where Azir knew where to find a cartographer. In the Castle Ward, the party went to a shop named Serpentil and Son. Inside the shop, the adventurers spoke to Dwitt and Jym Serpentil. Dwitt revealed that the map was made of a rare type of paper from sussur tree which only grows in the Underdark and the ink was squid ink which could purchased anywhere in Waterdeep, Jym revealed that he sold sussur paper to a woman with "bright, red hair" whose name started with an "M".

The Thirsty Throat
The party decided to see if they could find other adventurers with treasure maps which led them to a few taverns in Dock Ward. A ramshackle tavern called The Thirsty Throat was hosting a rowdy group of hobgoblin adventurers celebrating their futures. Viego was able to see that the adventurers had a treasure map on their hands. Before the party could find out where the hobgoblins obtained their map, a brawl broke out between the two groups. The hobgoblins were beaten to defeat and revealed that they bought their map off of a cobbler on Ship Street.

The Cobbler
After a small bribe on a bustling Ship Street, the party was pointed in the direction of a small alley connected to the main roadway. A home was made out of one of the abandoned buildings on Ship Street, inside the building the adventurers met a halfling that introduced himself as "Ian Sporks n' Stuff." The halfling described himself as a cobbler but it was apparent that his skills were more in-line with that of a petty thief and fence. Ian was pressed with questions about the source of the maps, but before the halfling could divulge that information, he was struck in the back by poison darts. The attack came from two individuals who had broken into Ian's home through an open window.

Approaching the Ship's Prow
The adventurers pursued the duo through the busy streets of Dock Ward but their efforts were for naught as the duo slipped through the dense crowds and twisting alleys, evading the adventurers. Ian, thankful for the party's efforts and frightened for his safety admitted to finding the maps in a backpack at a nearby intersection. The characters once again ran into J.B. when they arrived at the busy intersection where Ian said the maps were found. After asking nearby vendors about the maps and the fleeing duo, a fish vendor told the adventurers that the fleeing duo was seen entering the large tavern in the area, the Ships Prow.

Player Characters

 * Azir the human rogue
 * Benny the human rogue
 * Chomp the shifter druid
 * Kados the tiefling sorcerer
 * Viego the human kensei

Non-Player Characters

 * Baron of Blood, a male human and dark mythic figure of Waterdeep.
 * Dwitt Serpentil, the male human owner of the map store, Serpentil and Son.
 * Ez, a female earth genasi agent of the Baron of Blood.
 * Ian "Sporks n' Stuff", a male halfling thief that masquerades as a "cobbler" in Dock Ward.
 * J.B. Nevercott, the male human liaison of the Bregan D'aerthe in Waterdeep.
 * Jym Serpentil, the male human son of Dwitt Serpentil and mapmaker of the store, Serpentil and Son.
 * Marmaduke, the female tabby cat companion of Chomp.