ENDSHIFT STREET:
Zarek goes down the stairs and looks around to see if he can find signs of The Alchemist.
The corridor is dark and the air is damp and acrid in the long passage; an uncomforting mist that smells of acid hangs about.
Zarek hears someone walking back down the tunnel and he and Alley wait by the door hoping to surprise whoever it is.
“Bravo.” Zarek says quietly and the secret door seals closed.
Out steps Romain and he is quickly dealt with by Zarek and his 2 Dagger blows and Alley with her Fire Bolt, had he been with The Alchemist?
Alley rushes to check Romain while Zarek listens out for more Addicts coming down the tunnel.
Zarek moves Romains body to the back of the stage area, tied-up and out of sight from prying eyes. Zarek searches Romain and find a pouch with 10gp Dragons in it and a note written by Ivan.
There are two that I need dealing with and I have a bounty of 10 Dragons for those of you who will take on this challenge. My man will give you with the details.
Bodee
Zarek quietly heads down the corridor first while listening out for danger or more of Thugs under the control of The Alchemist. Zarek can see that the tunnel is man-made and propped up with wooden beams. The tunnel heads steeply down and out under the castle wall.
Alley uses the candle, dropped by Romain, to light her way down the corridor.
Zarek can make out that between the beams of the large wooden planks, a fine purple phosphorescent moss can be seen.
The sounds of rushing gurgling water, bubbling pots and metal clanging can be heard ahead of the PCs from down the hallway. The hallway stretches for many feet and snakes on for only further back on itself, ending with a large square chamber.
Alley stays behind listening out for any noise from behind the two heroes.
Zarek moves silently around the corner and peers into the chamber where he hope to find The Alchemist.
The Lair of The Alchemist:
At the end of a narrow 5’ foot. wide passage with low ceilings the party will find a large square room. Much like the man-made hallway before it, the room has crumbling dirt walls, supported by wooden pillars throughout to support the packed stone and dirt ceilings. Discarded brown envelopes of Chimera litter the corridor, considering his loyal servants are eager to consume their “payment”. There is dim magical light that fills the corridor and the laboratory chamber. An acrid scent permeates the air.
The walls of the square workroom are lined with tables and crude graffiti. There are pillars, each in the corners and a fire pit in the centre of the room. A variety of steel pots hang from the ceiling for use in the experiments to create the Alchemical Traveller’s Dust.
Zarek also spies Oli and Lucas in the large room, sitting at a table drinking the day away. Alley offers to act as a captive to allow Zarek to enter and speak with Oli and Lucas. The Alchemist must be close by.
There is also a hound tied-up by a chin in front of the attached room in the south-west corner. He becomes alert and stands up, growling softly.
“That way they won’t ask why Mark ‘The Mellow Man’ let you in, they will be more interested in me and if I know where you are.” Alley offers.
Zarek wraps rope around Alleys hands to make out that she was tied up.
Zarek enters the room, still in the guise of Lawrence the Bullyblade, and plays the part well enough for the pair of Addict not to question how he got inside and pass the secret door.
Oli ‘The Actor’ did most of the talking and offered to take Alley off Lawrences hands as the boss was busy at the moment.
Oli was leering at Alley and suggested they have a little fun before they had to hand her over.
“After all, lots of people are not surviving the epidemic, they won’t miss one more, even one as pretty as this one.” Oli says while a small amount of drool falls from his open mouth.
Lucas, ‘The roach’, offers Zarek some Ale and pours him a tinkered. Zarek accepts but doesn’t sit with the two Addicts at the table. Oli then offers Lawrence something stronger. Still no sign of The Alchemist.
“Here, ave something to relax you, you’ve earnt it mate.” Oli says whilst he hands over a waxed packet of Chimera.
Zarek says he is fine and sorted, then takes out his small stash to prove his Addiction.
Oli, still ogling at Alley gets up and begins to paw at her. Zarek asks for the Alchemist again and Oli and Lucas are in no hurry to care very much about Lawrence’s demand.
Oli then notices that Alley is not really tied-up and all hell breaks loose.
Alley engages with Oli, while Zarek jumps on the seated Lucas.
Lucas is hit twice by Zarek with his Dagger hilt as he does not intend to kill anyone this night, and Lucas is out for the count.
Oli is a different matter and it takes the assistance of Zarek, with his ‘Vicious Mockery’ Cantrip, for Alley to also incapacitate ‘The Actor’.
At all this, Ivan cries out. “You two stop messing around and make sure you keep an eye on the equipment you pair of idiots, I’m working here.” Ivan cries out.
“Alley, we need to deal with the Dog before I can see what’s in the room.” Zarek says nervously.
“How about some food, the poor thing looks starved. But we add a little something to it, Travellers Dust? As it won’t kill it, just relax it so to speak.” Alley suggests.
Zarek take the ‘Potion of Healing’ that they found on the unconscious body of Romain and Zarek returns to full fitness.
The Dog, who must be owned by The Alchemist, hungrily devours the food and is soon away in Dog nirvana.
Zarek, stealthily moves over to the corner room and has the good idea to cast a ‘Minor Illusion’ in front of the doorway, show an empty chamber beyond and then he would look into the room covered by the ‘Illusion’ of the empty chamber.
A small library carved into the wall opposite the entrance is lined with bookshelves from floor to ceiling. Books are all over the floor and there is a desk and 2 two chairs in the room now occupied by Rufus and behind the desk, with his feet up upon it, is Ivan Kayd Maestro.
Zarek moves back and tells Alley of what he has seen. Zarek intends to create a breakage of some sort and entice the two out of the library. Zarek smashes some beakers and only gets Ivan screaming out that the pair should be careful of the damage they do as they will pay for it.
“And don’t forget to keep an eye on the Chimera you two fools or we will all be blown to kingdom come.” Ivan calls out.
Zarek then says that should let one of the Chimera equipment blow and that should have them come out of the library.
One of the alchemical contraptions blows and Rufus is first to exit the library and is confronted by Zarek, who surprises him with a slash to his gut with his first Dagger and a slice to his forearm with his second. Rufus is still on his feet. Is Rufus The Alchemist?
Ivan does not come out of the library and so Alley casts her ‘Fire Bolt’ Spell at Rufus. It later turned out that Ivan was casting ‘Mage Armour’ on himself.
Ivan comes out and can see that there are only the two children and he feels emboldened.
Ivan then takes his chance and rushes out of the Library past Zarek and Rufus and he has his way out blocked by Alley. Ivan casts ‘Acid Splash’ at Alley but she is only splashed but not badly damaged.
“That Acid Splash outline that we saw in the Theatre, Ivan has killed like this before.” Zarek ponders.
“What do YOU care of Waterdeep? It’s simple you see, I love Waterdeep. This is precisely why I plan to bring it to its knees. The nobles live in their great keeps, the population swells with ignorant, wasteful life at every boundary and I plan feed it to my ravenous Chimera.”
“Most of you have already seen what the city has in store for you. You face despair, hunger and poverty for the rest of your miserable lives. Your live those lives at the pleasure of the masters you’ll never even see. The boundaries of the ward were established so that they would see this entire corner rot and die. The system will crumble, even if we only stand tall atop what’s left.”
“This desperate existence must be brought to an end with this sickness at my command! The addiction that has already spread to the borders of this ward will devour Waterdeep, Ward by Ward. How long will it take before it consumes the entire Crown of the North?! Join me or their fate will be yours as well…”
Zarek continues the fight but is incapable of putting Rufus down and the Thug Addict continues to swing at the Tiefling with his Mace. Alley has to fire her ‘Fire Bolt’ at Rufus and he is killed, or so we all thought.
Zarek having dealt with Rufus, Zarek runs over to the Addicted Sage Ivan.
Ivan pleads his innocence and said that he had to follow orders from Rufus, the brains behind the operation, he just wanted free Travellers Dust.
“it’s a disease you know, I can’t help myself. I will come quietly and I won’t be a problem, promise” Pleads Ivan.
Zarek, for some strange reason believes him and lets his guard down.
Then another combatant enters the fray. The Zhentarim Assassin that had been tracking both Alley and Zarek, this past week, fires from the doorway with a Shortbow and hits Alley in the shoulder. The hooded figure then moves into the chamber and confronts Alley, having drawn his Shortsword. Zarek is convinced that Ivan will behave and so turns his back on the Sage, that’s when he sees Iomhar ‘Bodee’ Rackham, standing in the doorway to the Chamber with a drawn Shortbow, which he fires at the Zhentarim Assassin and causes major damage in doing so. Alley aids Iomhar and the Zhentarim Assassin is dispatched.