Dramatis Personae
Obsidian (Jase)
Calista (Reni)
Fenmyar (Freddie)
Galadin (Andrew)
Jakama (Rowan)
Lexomel (Rex)
Sheepishly, Volo thanks the group for rescuing his dear friend Floom, who sinks, exhausted, into the nearest chair. In a low voice, as if to keep his message secret within their group, Volo whispers: “I wish to extend thanks to your group, the compensation I promised you. But before we go any further, I must tell you that there is good news as well bad news about your reward.”
The group, stony faced, stare back at the twitching of Volo’s handlebar mustache. Finally, Volo sheepishly says, “My friends, books sales have been….shall we say, less vigorous than expected.” He gestures to the several large piles of unsold copies of Volo’s Guide to Monsters. Closing his eyes as though in pain, he shakes his head sadly. “Even the signed copies – collectible, mind you – have not been selling. Imagine! There’s no market for monsters these days.” Volo issues a very deep sigh before being snapped from his reverie by Jakama.
“You have no gold, do you?” Jakama’s mouth is a compressed line, as he tries and fails to hide his frustration with the downcast Volo.
Volo looks up at him, eyes welling, and fishes in his tattered velvet jacket. “You are right, dear boy, I have no gold- not one single dragon to reward you with! I do, however, have this and I am happy to sign it over to you!” With a flourish, Volo unfurls an official looking scroll of parchment, spreading it upon the tabletop. “The deed to Trollskull Manor, the focal point of Trollskull Alley. I purchased it with the last of the gold from the royalties from my more popular work, Volo’s Guide to All Things Magical.”
Grabbing his bottle of ink and quill meant for his book signing, Volo inscribes each adventurer’s name onto the deed to Trollskull Manor. “I purchased it not long ago for a good price, as it needed a bit of work. It has, shall we say, a resident who refuses to leave. A former barman, who haunts the place.”
“Why doesn’t someone just throw him out?” demands Obsidian.
Looking embarrassed, Volo mumbles, “ He’s a poltergeist. I was planning on dealing with him after the book sale. I’m sure he isn’t terribly dangerous, although you might refer to my chapter on the Undead in my Monsters book. They have been known, you know, to drain the life from their victims.” The group look at one another, uncertainly. “But,” exclaims Volo, “the place is a mansion and you can run it as a business~a tavern~ and live upstairs if you wish, or rent the rooms as an inn!”
The group, catch Volo’s contagious excitement at the prospect of owning a mansion and business. They depart to bed, planning to head over to their new property first thing in the morning. Volo offers himself as a tour guide.
The next day, refreshed and excited, the group follow Volo to Waterdeep’s North Ward. A rundown but busy lane, accessible from Saerdoun Street is opening for a day of business. Volo points out the shops and shopkeepers, new neighbors of the friends. “There’s a potion shop, an armorer and an apothecary quite close by. You’ll likely wish to get to know Talley Fellbranch, a carpenter and wood carver, here at the Bent Nail.” Volo gestures to a low shop that smells strongly of fresh cut boards. Volo pauses at a sewer grate at one end of the lane. “I’m told one might access the sewers, if one has a mind to,” Volo says. Groan!! The friends exchanged looks that seem to say they’ve had more than enough time in the sewers for a while.
Volo pauses before a shop that is one of the taller buildings on the street. Beneath the hanging sign’s scrolled name, “The Book Wyrm’s Treasure,” a window display is stacked with unsold copies of his guide to monsters. Volo sighs, and moves on. He gestures to a storefront with the curious orange and black logo of an open eye painted on its door. “This place,” whispers Volo, “is called the Tiger’s Eye, owned by a private detective. Trench is his name. No one seems to know much about him. Very mysterious….ah, here we are!”
Volo has stopped before the largest and shabbiest building in the area. He gestures grandly, placing a ring of large, rusting keys in Galadin’s hand. “Well,” says Volo, “I must run. Books to sell, you know. Good luck!” And with that, Volo is gone.
The friends stand in the bright sunshine of a Waterdeep morning, and slowly climb the stairs. Galadin slips one of the keys into the lock and one of the great double doors creaks open. Tentatively, on the lookout for the poltergeist, the party enters slowly.
Cautious Fenmyar casts Invisibility on himself, and then he lights a candle stub from one of the tables. His tiny floating flsme shows the friends a shabby taproom filled with rickety furniture. Every surface is coated thickly with dust. Filthy glasses and empty bottles cover tables and lay piled in corners. Obsidian points to a particularly dark corner: “What was that?” He moves behind the bar to investigate. He sees a glowing figure, hovering over a trap door. The poltergeist! As he approaches, the pale face stretches to a hideous rictus and shrieks “Last call!!! The bar is closing,” before sinking through the floor.
Unafraid, Jakama throws open the trapdoor and descends down the ladder into thedarkness. Fortunately, his darkvision give him a clear view of the ancient, cobwebbed cellar. Floating several inches above the packed earth floor is the poltergeist. His glowing face is a mask of anger, and his jaw unhinges to his waist as he screams at Jakama: “No patrons allowed!! Employees only!!” He points to a see-through finger at a dusty sign on the trapdoor.
Threatened, Jakama casts Light. In the confined space in the cellar, both the poltergeist and Jakama suffer radiant damage from the small but powerful cantrip, and both are temporarily blinded.
Elsewhere in the mansion, Lexomel discovers the upper floors can only be reached using a set of outside stairs. Lexomel is able to pick the lock, allowing himself, Galadin and Calista explore the second floor of the mansion. Hearing a noise, Galadin opens a door a discovers a young boy
crouching behind some dusty armchairs. His clothes are tattered and his face is dirty. He shies away from Galadin, who indicates that he means the boy no harm. Galadin discovers the boy’s name is Maartin. He is an orphan, apprenticed to a wizard recently killed by the gangs who are in Waterdeep. Maartin’s main concern is that he will be evicted and have no oplace to live. Galadin lets Maartin know that wise Fenmyar might take him on as a student. The boy seems relieved and very anxious to meet Fenmyar, hopefully his new master.
Meanwhile, Lexomel and Calista continue to higher stories in the house. Lexomel finds an upper bedroom at the top of the house and he claims the room for his own. Galadin opens a door to the dusty attic, filled with boxes and crates. Hmmm.
Down in the cellar, Fenmyar descends into the cellar, where he sees both the poltergeist and Jakama with their arms over their faces. A light spell brightly illuminates the dusty, low space. The poltergeist is backed up against a wine rack, and gentle Fenmyar asks the spirit who he is. Peering from between ghostly fingers, the poltergeist identifies himself as the tavern’s previous barkeeper, a half-elf named Lif. Maintaining the tavern was his life’s work, and he couldn’t abandon the place in death. Fenmyar reassures the spirit that he will not be forced to leave.
It seems Trollskull Manor already has two residents. The friends will make it their own, quite soon.
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