The Morning Blast
The day began in chaos. A fireball explosion rocked Trollskull Alley, sending a shockwave through the quiet morning air and shaking the windows of the Trollskull Tavern. The party rushed outside to find smoke curling over the cobblestones and bodies strewn across the street—eleven in total. Among them lay a gnome, his clothes scorched, a dagger clutched tight in his small hand.
The gnome was Dalakhar, a spy working for Lord Dagult Neverember. Unknown to the party at first, he had been seeking them out—hoping to entrust them with the Stone of Golorr, the key to a vast hidden cache of gold. He never made it. The Zhentarim had been closing in, and when a nimblewright assassin hurled a bead from a Necklace of Fireballs, the blast consumed everyone in its radius.
The scene was grisly. Servants, guards, and even street performers lay among the dead. Two of the fallen bore black, winged snake tattoos—marks of the Black Network. Dalakhar’s boots and cloak were caked with sewer grime, and a small pouch of gemstones hinted at recent dealings underground. Before the City Watch arrived, the party worked quickly, collecting clues and murmuring with stunned witnesses.
The Watch Arrives
Within minutes, the alley was locked down. Six guards were posted at each entrance, while others escorted Barnibus Blastwind of the Watchful Order and his companion, Sergeant Saeth Cromley, to the site. The two immediately took command of the investigation, questioning the tavern’s occupants. Though proximity made the party prime suspects, their cooperation and calm demeanor earned Barnibus’ trust.
After careful inspection, Barnibus concluded the following:
- The gnome was fleeing three pursuers—only two of whom died in the explosion.
- He was running toward the Trollskull Tavern, likely seeking refuge.
- Neither Dalakhar nor his pursuers saw the fireball coming.
When pressed, Barnibus confided, “The magic was not cast by mortal hands, but by a construct—a nimblewright. Trust the Watch. We’ll find who did this.” Yet, despite his words, the party knew they could not wait for bureaucracy to catch up with murder.
Through the Sewers
Following Dalakhar’s trail, the group descended into the sewers beneath Waterdeep. The tunnels were slick with runoff and echoing with distant chittering. They found evidence of passage—footprints, scraps of scorched cloth—and a faint magical residue consistent with constructs. The deeper they went, the clearer the picture became: someone had been using the sewers to move unseen.
Their search led them eventually to the House of Inspired Hands, the temple of Gond and the heart of Waterdeep’s innovation. Within its brass halls, they met a nimblewright named Nim—an intelligent automaton responsible for creating others of its kind. Wracked with guilt, Nim confessed that one of his creations had fled the temple weeks prior. That rogue nimblewright, he believed, had been manipulated into committing terrible acts.
The Search Begins
In sympathy—and to atone—Nim gifted the party a peculiar device: a Nimblewright Detector. The brass contraption whirred and clicked like a compass, spinning faster the closer it came to one of Nim’s kin. With this tool, they took to the streets in pursuit.
Their first reading led them to the docks, where the Sea Maiden’s Faire ships were moored. The detector’s spinning needle confirmed that a nimblewright was aboard. However, when they sought entry, Zardoz Zord’s crew denied them access, insisting that the vessels were private property. With nothing more to gain and no permission to board, they turned back.
The Trail to Gralhund Villa
The search continued across the city. The device’s clicking grew urgent near Gralhund Villa—the walled estate of Yalah and Orond Gralhund, a minor noble family with whispered ties to the Zhentarim. Smoke rose faintly from the estate’s chimneys, and guards stood alert at the gates. Somewhere inside, the missing nimblewright waited, carrying with it the truth behind the explosion and the Stone of Golorr.
The chase had begun. The threads of conspiracy—the Zhentarim, the Gralhunds, the Sea Maiden’s Faire, and the mysterious mind behind the Stone—were now tangled together. Whatever secrets Waterdeep kept buried, they were about to rise.