Session 3: Ashes and Automata

(Verse 1)
Come gather, good folk, let this tale ignite,
A fireball’s roar shook Trollskull at night.
A boy held beads of a deadly chain—
But who pulled the string? What mind, insane?

(Chorus)
So strum the lute, let the tale unfold,
Heroes of Trollskull, brazen and bold!
Eyeless shines with radiant flame,
Captain Mercer plays the shadows’ game.

(Verse 2)
To Gond’s great halls the party sped,
Where brass and cogs marked the path ahead.
Captain John scaled the temple wall,
Slipped not once—no fall at all!

(Bridge 1)
There Nim confessed with gears grown cold:
"I built him, yes—but he broke the mold."
A Nimblewright lost, with fire in hand—
We took the task, by Mirt’s demand.

(Verse 3)
Into the sewers, deep and vile,
The detector clicked—crept every mile.
They found a cult in serpent guise,
Rituals writ 'neath traitor skies!

(Bridge 2)
Eyeless stood where the torches failed,
Wreathed in light, his purpose unveiled.
Dren charged in, maul like thunder,
Struck down foes, tore spells asunder!

(Verse 4)
Captain John, in deadly dance,
Dodged through strikes like fate’s own chance.
Slim Jim mended wounds with grace,
A blur of bandage, charm, and mace.

(Verse 5)
Silas grinned—his boots now charred—
Two fireballs flew from his hand unmarred.
Scrolls we claimed in smoke and fear:
Flaming Sphere, Animate Dead, and more unclear!

(Final Chorus)
So raise your mugs, let echoes fly,
Varrick sings ‘neath Waterdeep’s sky!
Eyeless burns with righteous gleam,
Dren smites foes in every dream,
Slim Jim steadies, Silas schemes,
And Captain John haunts alley seams!

(Outro)
From gears to ghosts, from flame to blade,
The hunt begins, the path is laid.
Trollskull’s crew, in legend steeped—
By fire and fang, their oaths were deeped.

In Waterdeep where sparks did fly,
A fireball lit the morning sky.
Through temple halls and secrets sworn,
A Nimblewright was thusly born.

To sewers deep the brave did crawl,
Where snakes with spells began to brawl.
Steel did clash and spells did flare,
As Eyeless fell 'neath poisoned air.

John struck true with blade so keen,
And Dren fought on with health so lean.
Slim Jim rose and then was floored,
While healing hands and faith restored.

But through it all, with spells alight,
One serpent’s bane stayed out of sight—
Oh Silas, bold, with magic mean...
Was untouched, yet cursed: his boots unclean!*

John struck true with blade so keen,
And Dren fought on with health so lean.
Slim Jim rose and then was floored,
While healing hands and faith restored.

🧭 Overview

📍 Location: Trollskull Tavern → Bent Nail → Temple of Gond → Waterdeep Sewers
📆 [18th May 2025]

A deadly 💥 fireball explosion outside Trollskull Tavern killed several civilians, including a gnome named Dalakhar, but the tavern and party were unharmed. Dalakhar was fleeing enemies and intended to hire the party to deliver the Stone of Golorr to Renaer Neverember’s father. A metal puppet was seen on the rooftops, and a Necklace of Fireballs was found at the scene.

At the Temple of Gond, the party met Nim, an automaton who confessed to creating a rogue nimblewright. They received a Nimblewright Detector and were offered 💰500 gold or a custom invention for its recovery.

In the Waterdeep sewers, the group uncovered and defeated a yuan-ti cult performing a dark ritual. They recovered 📜 magical scrolls, 🗡️ enchanted weapons, and 💰216 gold, and earned +1 Renown from Force Grey. The Nimblewright’s location and the cult’s true purpose remain unknown.

💥 Fireball in Trollskull Alley

While business picked up at Trollskull Tavern, a massive explosion shattered the calm—a fireball detonated just outside, killing Dalakhar, a gnome spy, and several citizens. Remarkably, the tavern and party were unharmed, though the street was left scorched and chaotic.

👤 A cloaked figure was seen looting Dalakhar’s body and fleeing toward the Bent Nail.
🧒 A child claimed a metal puppet had thrown something into a barrel—it was revealed to be a Necklace of Fireballs with two remaining beads.
🧙 Silas identified the explosion as magical; Dren confirmed the necklace’s nature.

"Eyeless assisted folk and asked questions"

🚨 City Watch & Renaer's Secrets

Silias in the library with a candlestick

The City Watch, led by:

• 🧑‍⚖️ Barnabus Blastwind

• 👮‍♂️ Sergeant Cromley
  ...arrived and began their investigation. Captain John Mercer calmly persuaded them the party was innocent. They revealed:

• Dalakhar had been fleeing armed pursuers.

• Trollskull was declared a crime scene.

Later, Renaer Neverember arrived and revealed: Dalakhar had spied on him for two months. He was likely seeking the party to deliver the Stone of Golorr to Renaer’s father in Neverwinter. The artifact is powerful and valuable, drawing interest from the Zhentarim and Xanathar Guild. Renaer offered 💰1,000 gold if the party retrieved it.

⚙️ Temple of Gond – The Lonely Automaton

Following the automaton’s trail to the Temple of Gond, the party met:

• 🐉 Valetta, bronze dragonborn priestess

• 🤖 Nim, a sentient automaton

Nim confessed to secretly creating a second nimblewright that had escaped. He feared the construct was responsible for the explosion. The temple had locked Nim away.

🎁 Rewards Offered:

• 500 gold for destroying the rogue Nimblewright

• OR a mechanical invention (e.g., barking box or adjustable stilts)

• Nim begged for the nimblewright to be spared and returned, promising a unique invention

📟 The party received a Nimblewright Detector — spins and clicks when within 500 ft

🕳️ Sewer Hunt – The Yuan-ti Ritual

With no detection from the device, the party scouted the Waterdeep sewers and stumbled upon a yuan-ti ritual involving a drowning victim, red and green malisons, and a purple abomination.

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

⚔️ Combat Highlights:

🎁 Loot & Rewards

📜 Magical Scrolls (unassigned):

• Fireball – AoE damage

• Animate Dead – Raise undead (ethical concerns)

• Flaming Sphere – Area control

• Fear – AoE frighten

🗡️ Weapons:

• +1 Longbow

• +1 Scimitars

💰 Gold:

• 216 gold pieces total

🛡️ Faction Gain:

• +1 Renown with the Grey Hands / Force Grey for defeating the cult

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Party Status (Post-Battle)

All exhaustion effects have been cleared post-session.

🔍 Unresolved Threads

• The rogue Nimblewright remains at large.

• The purpose of the yuan-ti ritual is unclear—possible necromantic ties?

• Debate brews: destroy or spare the Nimblewright?

• Some scrolls, like Animate Dead and Fear, raise moral dilemmas within the party.