WoW S.01 A Rowdy Night at the Yawning Portal

1. The party met at The Yawning Portal and were thrown together when a brawl broke out involving Yagra Stonefist and a gang of Zhentarim thugs — TMM05 made a dramatic entrance by crashing through the ceiling and the party helped subdue the attackers
2. A troll climbed out of the Well of Dragons in the center of the tavern and attacked — Durnan the innkeeper leapt into battle alongside the party and together they drove it back into the pit, with Vonna delivering the killing blow using sacred flame
3. Volo introduced himself and recruited the party to find his missing friend Floon Blaagmar, offering the deed to a property in Trollskull Alley as payment — the party accepted
4. Yagra Stonefist thanked the party for their help and tipped them off that Floon had last been seen near Candle Lane in the Dock Ward
5. The party explored Waterdeep and established their individual backstories — Fearonuh opened a jewelry shop, Vonna joined the Red Sashes, Bruce and Bartholomew were drugged and woke up in the South Ward with no memory of the previous night

Full Recap

Welcome to Whispers of Waterdeep! Our story begins in the city of Waterdeep, the Crown of the North, the City of Splendors. It is a city of contradiction: ancient and modern, opulent and desperate, law-abiding and corrupt. It sits on the Sword Coast, at the edge of the known world, where the great ocean meets a vast wilderness. Waterdeep is home to over a million souls, from the poorest beggar to the wealthiest noble, all living cheek by jowl in the shadow of a mountain that may or may not be a sleeping god.

The year is 1492 DR (Dale Reckoning), and the city is buzzing with news: Dagult Neverember, the city's former Open Lord, has been ousted from power amidst scandal. Rumors swirl that he embezzled vast sums from the city's coffers before his fall from grace. The new Open Lord, the legendary wizard Laeral Silverhand, has pledged to restore order and root out corruption. Meanwhile, the city's many factions — the Zhentarim, the Xanathar Guild, the Harpers, the Lords' Alliance — all jockey for power in the shifting political landscape.

Into this city come our heroes, each with their own reasons for being here, each with their own secrets and ambitions. They are about to be thrown together by fate, and their choices will shape the destiny of Waterdeep itself.

The Yawning Portal

1. Our story opens at The Yawning Portal, the most famous tavern in Waterdeep. The tavern is built around a 40-foot-wide well that descends into the dungeons of Undermountain below. Durnan, the gruff, retired adventurer who owns the place, watches the room from behind the bar with his customary scowl.
2. The party members each arrived at the Yawning Portal independently, for their own reasons. They had not yet met each other.
3. The evening was going well until a brawl broke out. A half-orc woman named Yagra Stonefist was set upon by four Zhentarim thugs who accused her of being a spy. Outnumbered, she called for help.
4. The party members each chose to intervene, throwing themselves into the fight for their own reasons. It was during this brawl that the mysterious construct TMM05 made its entrance — crashing through the ceiling and landing in the middle of the fight with a dramatic thud.
5. The party made short work of the Zhent thugs, impressing the other patrons of the bar. Unknown watched approvingly from behind the bar.

The Troll

1. The excitement wasn't over. From the great well in the center of the tavern, a massive grey-green hand appeared, followed by the rest of a troll. The creature was enormous — nearly ten feet tall — and it was very angry. It had apparently climbed all the way up from Undermountain.
2. The crowd screamed and scattered. Durnan leapt over the bar with a magical greatclub, and the party charged in alongside him.
3. The battle was fierce. The troll's regenerative abilities made it extremely difficult to kill — wounds closed almost as fast as they were inflicted. The party learned quickly that fire and acid were needed to prevent the creature from healing.
4. Vonna delivered the killing blow, unleashing a blast of Sacred Flame that burned the troll's wounds shut permanently and sent it tumbling back into the pit.
5. Durnan ordered the well covered and bought the party a round of drinks. The crowd cheered. Word of the party's deeds would spread quickly through the city.

Volo's Job

1. A flamboyant, well-dressed gnome named Volo — the famous travel writer Volothamp Geddarm — pushed his way through the crowd to introduce himself to the party. He was lavish in his praise of their combat abilities.
2. Volo explained that his dear friend Floon Blaagmar had gone missing two days ago. Floon was last seen in the Dock Ward, and Volo was worried sick. He had heard rumors of Zhentarim activity in that area and feared the worst.
3. Volo offered the party a handsome reward: the deed to a property he owned in the North Ward— Trollskull Manor — if they could find and rescue Floon. He didn't have much gold to offer, but insisted the manor was worth far more than a simple finder's fee.
4. After some negotiation, the party agreed to help. They had their first job in Waterdeep.

Yagra's Tip

1. Before the party left, Yagra Stonefist sought them out to thank them for their help in the brawl. She was a member of the Zhentarim herself, she admitted, but she had her own reasons for the loyalty she showed.
2. She told the party that she had heard about Floon's disappearance through her own channels. She believed he had last been seen with a noble-looking man near a tavern called the Skewered Dragon on Candle Lane in the Dock Ward. She suggested the party start their search there.
3. Yagra also warned the party to be careful. The Zhentarim and the Thieves Guild — known as the Xanathar Guild — were at each other's throats, and the streets of the Dock Ward were dangerous.

Getting to Know Waterdeep

1. The party took some time to explore the city and establish themselves before pursuing the Floon investigation. Each party member had arrived in Waterdeep with different backstories and spent this time making their mark.
   
2. Fearonuh had set up a small jewelry shop in the city, using her skills as a craftsperson to establish a cover and generate some income. Business was slow but steady.
3. Vonna had connected with the Red Sashes, a local vigilante group that helped protect the poor and vulnerable from exploitation. She had been doing small jobs for them, keeping her paladin oath through acts of community service.
4. Bruce and Bartholomew Glockenspiel had a rougher introduction to the city. Both had been drugged on their first night in Waterdeep — slipped something in their drinks at a tavern in the South Ward — and woke up the next morning with no memory of the previous night and considerably lighter purses. They suspected foul play but had no leads.
5. With their personal business attended to, the party was ready to begin their first real adventure together: finding Floon Blaagmar.