A bar brawl in the Yawning Portal proves that nowhere is safe from the gang war between the Zhentarim and the Xanathar Guild. The characters are offered a quest by Volothamp Geddarm. Volo promises a reward if they can rescue his missing friend, Floon Blagmaar, who he fears has been caught up in the conflict.
Night of the Pit Hunch –
Ches, 2nd month of the year
The party is invited back to the Yawning Portal as a reward for their aid the previous week, and are toasted by Durnan in front of the entire assembled patrons. Shortly afterwards, they spy Yagra at the bar, arguing with as small group of ruffians, The argument turns into a fight. The party rises to assist, and joins the fray. Durnan yells for “No Steel”, and a bar brawl begins! The party drives the villainous enemies of Yagra away or to the ground.
Shortly afterwards, an unknown adventurer decides to “take a dip” and go down the pit, in what seems to be some sort of tradition. He passes the gold, and is lowered into the pit by Durnan. Several tense minutes go by, and the man eventually calls for the rope. He’s hoisted back up, an climbs out of the hole, celebrating. Moments late he is followed by a beast that clambers from the pit, and grabs the adventurer.
It appears to be a ‘Pit Hunch’ covered in tiny winged demons (…at least to Shining Brow). Durnan, and the party, leap to action as the patrons flee. Tang yells some ancient wisdom that no one understands. The group fights the troll and Stirges. Durnan blasts the troll with his blade, but it regenerates. Brow throws a knife, and Shazuu puts a javelin through the troll’s head, and it falls back in the pit. Durnan congratulates the party.
Yagra leads us to a table to meet with with Volothamp Geddarm. He needs skilled warriors, and invites us to sit down. Volo has lost a friend in the street violence, and offers us payment if we can find him. (10 gp to take the mission, and 100 gp if we find him). Floon Blagmaar and Volo went to The Skewered Dragon, a tavern in the Dock Ward. When Volo left, Floon stayed behind, but he never came home. Floon is a human in his mid 30s, with red blond hair, and wears a bas relief of unicorn’s head. Flume’s wife came to Volo to tell him he was missing. The group accepts the mission.
After a short rest, they set out to The Skewered Dragon., and on the way pass the remains of a slaughter in the streets. The watch have three thugs under arrest. All three have snake tattoos. Continuing towards the tavern, the group passes the Old Xoblob Shoppe, and stop in. The shop is somewhere between a junk shop and a thrift store, with with a stuffed beholder hanging in the window. The entire shop is painted purple, including the merchandise. Shining Brow buys a scroll and a book… both look interesting, but (ultimately) both are underwhelming.
Eventually, they arrive at the Skewered Dragon. In the rundown bar, Mantis buys drinks and questions the bartender and patrons. Apparently, Floon stayed late into the night. He was drinking with Dagault Neverember, and the two left the bar before dawn. They were followed by some thugs with tattoos, and headed towards Xoblob’s. We return to Zoblob’s to follow up. Shazuu buys a book, which seems to be empty, and trades it to Shining Brow. The shop owner saw Floon and his friend get jumped by five men, beat up, and taken north towards the castle ward. The thugs had tattoos of snakes on their necks.
The party proceed North, and eventually comes to a warehouse marked with a snake on the post. They enter the yard, open the locked door, and enter the building. There are a dozen corpses neatly stacked along the walls. As they begin to investigate the building they are attacked by a small group of kenku. The party doesn’t leave any alive to question.
They look around, and begin to investigate the building…
