🧭 Session 03 – Nimble Shadows and Sewer Serpents

ImagesLocation: 🖼️

📍 

Waterdeep

Overview: In Session 3 of this Dungeons & Dragons campaign set in Waterdeep, the party—consisting of Artemis (Human Rogue), Dren (Dwarf Eldritch Knight Fighter), Eyeless (Protector Aasimar Paladin), Kenneth (Rogue, possibly Captain John Mercer), and Slim Jim (likely a Cleric or healer)—continues their investigation into a fireball explosion tied to the Necklace of Fireballs. Their journey leads them to the– Temple of Gond, whereCity theySewers, uncoverand Trollskull Tavern

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🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Party Status:

by

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intense

🛠 combat, ethical debates, and significant loot, culminating in a hard-fought victory and a return to a tavern to recover.

Temple of Gond Investigation:

• The party arrives at

  Explored the Templesite of Gond to investigate the fireball explosion that killed Delacar, who was pursued by either the Zhentarim or Xanathar Guild. They suspect the explosion involved the Necklace of Fireballs, a treasure linked to 500,000 Dragon coins, possibly tied to Rayna’sDelacar father,and a disgraced LordNecklace of Waterdeep.Fireballs.

• Artemis fails

  Met to pick the temple’s lock but climbs onto the roof, using parkour to reach an attic window and communicating with Nim,Nim, a temple-boundlonely automaton,automaton via sign language. Nim opens the door, granting the party entry.

Nim reveals itwho created a Nimblewright—a second automaton—to alleviate its loneliness, but therunaway Nimblewright fled over a month ago. This runaway matches—likely the “puppet” seen duringfleeing the explosion,scene. confirming

Violita offered:

💰 500 gold for the Nimblewright’s destruction

🧰 A barking box or stilts as a reward

Nim pleaded for mercy: return it as the likely culprit behind the fireball. Nim confirms the Nimblewright had no restrictions and noreceive priora interactionsunique beforeinvention.

fleeing. Violita, a temple official, seizes Nim’s tools to prevent further creations. The party jokingly names the runaway “Nimblewright Number Two.” Nim provides

Received a Nimblewright Detector, a metal device that spins(clicks and clicksspins within 500 feetft, of a Nimblewright (other than Nim), increasing inmax speed closer to the target (max velocity at 30 feet).ft)

The detector doesn’t react to Nim himself. Violita offers 500 gold to destroy the Nimblewright, along with a choice of inventions: adjustable stilts (increase height by 2–5 feet) or a barking box (a 6-inch cube that barks when detecting vibrations within 15 feet). Nim, however, requests the party return the Nimblewright unharmed, offering another invention as a reward. The party debates the ethics of Nim’s situation, noting the temple magically binds Nim, limiting its free will. They also learn other automatons exist in Waterdeep, often on ships, but are uncommon. They consider involving their guilds or NPCs like Rayna or Davil Starsong but don’t act on this yet.

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🐍 Sewer Battle – The Yuan-ti Cult

SewerNo ExplorationNimblewright detected in the sewers.

Discovered a yuan-ti ritual with:

A drowning victim

Red and Battlegreen malisons, and a purple abomination

The cult attacked, declaring: “Witnesses must be slain!”

🎯 Combat Highlights:

Eyeless: Used Divine Smite & Guiding Bolt, downed by cold/poison, revived Slim Jim

Slim Jim: Healed Eyeless, downed, revived

Captain John: Landed a critical Sneak Attack (39 damage); rolled nat 20 death save; finished red yuan-ti

Dren: Frontlined, maul attacks, survived with 3 HP

Silas:

• Suspecting

  Unleashed two Fireballs (from Necklace)

Deployed Fear and psychic spells

Remained untouched—but his boots got filthy crossing the Nimblewrightsewer

might be hiding in the sewers near the temple, the party descends to investigate. The Nimblewright Detector doesn’t activate during their initial descent, indicating the Nimblewright isn’t nearby. They encounter a yuan-ti

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cult

🧪 performingLoot a& ritualRewards

with

• Scrolls not yet assigned; likely for Dren chargesor Slim Jim

🛡 +1 Renown with aGrey maul,Hand attemptingfor astopping longthe jumpritual

based on Strength.

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🩹 Aftermath

The party staggered home to Trollskull Manor:

Captain John: 1 HP

Artemis throws

Dren: two3 daggersHP

at a yuan-ti malison (21 hits for 5 damage, 7 misses) and later uses an unarmed fist attack. Artemis lands a critical Sneak Attack on the red yuan-ti, dealing 39 damage (14 slashing doubled to 28, plus Sneak Attack doubled to 11), though Kenneth ultimately delivers the killing blow.

Eyeless attacks the red yuan-ti with a longsword (22 to hit, 5 damage) and uses Divine Smite (2d8 radiant, 9 damage). Eyeless casts Guiding Bolt on the red yuan-ti and takes 11 cold damage (likely from Ray of Frost), gaining disadvantage on their next attack, plus 6 poison damage. Eyeless is downed but revived by& Slim Jim,Jim: laterseverely revivingdrained

Slim Jim with Lay on Hands (15 HP pool, 8 used earlier). Kenneth is

Silas: downed✨ butpristine rollsrobes, amuddy criticalboots

20 on a death saving throw, returning with 1 HP. He kills the red yuan-ti. Slim Jim revives Eyeless but is downed, later revived by Eyeless. Dren, who cast a touch spell (possibly Cure Wounds) to heal a downed party member, ends the battle with 3 HP. A yuan-ti malison casts Flaming Sphere, dealing fire damage. The green yuan-ti takes 23 fire damage, the red takes 25, and a smaller abomination takes 23. The yuan-ti have magic resistance and around 100 HP each. The purple yuan-ti abomination deals 17 slashing damage with a bite, 9 and 15 damage with longbow shots, 7 psychic damage with a fear effect, and 5 bludgeoning damage with a constrict attack, grappling the target. The party defeats the yuan-ti, with the red yuan-ti killed by Kenneth, and the purple and green yuan-ti eventually slain. A ladder to a closed grate offers an escape route, but they don’t use it.

LootNimblewright’s andfate Aftermathremains unresolved:

The party searches the yuan-ti bodies, finding four magical scrolls: Flaming Sphere, Animate Dead, Fireball, and Fear. Distribution

Yuan-ti of the scrolls remains undecided, though Dren (with spellcasting ability) or Slim Jim might be likely candidates.

Upon exiting the sewer, the Grey Faction notices the party, and after explaining their victory over the cultists, the party earns +1 Renown. The ritual’ritual's purpose (possibly necromantic,necromantic) givenstill Animatea Dead)mystery remains unclear. The party returns to a tavern in Waterdeep to heal and recover, with several members in critical condition: Kenneth at 1 HP, Dren at 3 HP, Artemis at 1 HP, and Eyeless and Slim Jim low on resources after multiple downings and revivals.

UnresolvedEthical Threads:

debate

brewing The Nimblewright’s location remains unknown, as the detector didn’t activate in the sewers. The party must decideover whether to return it to Nimdestroy or destroyreturn itthe forNimblewright Violita’s reward. The scrolls’

Scrolls darklike nature (Animate Dead, Fear) might spark ethical debates, especially for Eyeless (a Paladin) or Slim Jim (potentially a Cleric).

The yuan-ti ritual’s purpose and itsFear potential connection tochallenge the Necklace of Fireballs or the Nimblewright’party’s fireballmoral incidentcompass are still mysteries.