Waterdeep: Dragon Heist - Session XI

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Last Full Group Session: Session X The Grand Opening

Last Session: Session X The Grand Opening

Next Session: Session XII Jenny O' The Arboretum

Basics & Rundown
Out of Game Date played: 2020-01-21

Session Title:  The Waterdeep Wazoo's Big Scoop

In-game Date : Nightal 19 - 20 1582 DR

Location: Waterdeep

Player Characters: (Alphabetical order)
 * Julian Bellafontaine (Matt)

Afterparty Intrigue
The Spookies opening has ended, no one is really to be found (Sowron, Thola, & Jadger) except for Gooz, who is passed out on a table, & Choo-Cha who is helping clear tables. Gumplin, Lif, & Choo-Cha are clearing tables & cleaning. Julian demands a beer from Gumplin for him & Threestrings. Gumplin sends Lif because he was in the middle of helping Choo-Cha lift Gooz off the table & to his room upstairs. Lif gets two (2) lagers for them, asks if they would like them cold, after a yes swipes his hand through them. Julian tosses 5 SP to Lif which gets caught in their ectoplasm & loudly pronounces how good of service Lif gives so Gumplin will hear. Lif then tells him he should take care of the drunk teen mage in the washroom, Julian promptly forgets.

Threestrings has a beer with Julian who mentions that he has been approached by a suspicious character from the Bregan D'Aerthe named JB Nevercott. Threestrings asks what he plans to do & Julian says he is willing to be a double agent on behalf of the Harpers. Threestrings says he could do this but would have to do it himself & prove his spy craft. "In this business it is do or die. Spycraft comes easily to some & not with others,  no one knows the fate of either path." Threestrings Julian learns that the Bregan D'Aerthe is a Drow (Dark Elf) led faction in Waterdeep who has opened their doors to new recruits in recent years. It is led by Jaraxle Baerne but much about him is unknown. After wishing Threestrings a good night with a "Bard pound", Julian retreats to his room to study the letter JB Nevercott gave to him early that night to plant in the editors office in the Waterdeep Wazoo (a proud independent publication int he city). He learns that the letter is sealed with the Neverember family crest, after carefully opening it he reads the letter which exposes several noble families in participating in orgies & blood rituals in the name of the devil god Asmodeus, these families are mentioned but inferred to have participated int he former acts: Julian forgets to seal the letter instead goes to sleep.
 * Cassalanter Family
 * Gralhund Family
 * Hansberg Family (Lord Vandeer is the patriarch of this Half-elf family)
 * Highchurch Family (Elvish family tied to many in the clergies within many churches & religious orders in Waterdeep)
 * Snoobeedle Family (Halfling nobility that has a large stake in agriculture & alcohol trade & distribution in Waterdeep & the greater Waterdeep area)

Troubles at the Yawning Portal
In the morning, Julian immediately goes to the Yawning Portal & finds Threestrings eating breakfast. He is approaches by an annoyed Durnan (the bartenders & proprietor of the Yawning Portal). He accosted Julian for not staying in the room he was gifted for the month with the last tenday, showing up to play his only show scheduled for the tenday, the show he cried & Choo-Cha helped to get him to be a headliner for. Durnan lets Julian know that he is no longer welcome at the Yawning Portal, that he cannot stay there, perform there & if he wants to enter he will have to pay 5 GP to come in & 5 GP to go out.

After Durnan leaves, Julian tells Threestrings about the conspiracy of these orgies & blood rituals & if it would be of any interest to the Harpers. Threestrings informs him if these blood rituals are to be inferred as some sort of demon magic it would be better for these nobles to be exposed than have them be secretly operating in Waterdeep despite the consequences or turmoil that may follow but for Julian to be careful as he did not have concrete proof to show him (or the Harpers).

Disappointed with this Intel outcome, Julian tells Threestrings this will be published soon.

The Big Scoop
Julian heads to the Waterdeep Wazoo's offices & arrives near midday. He enters the office's lobby to find a small gated lobby with several citizens with stories waiting to talk to the various reporters running around the office with the the typical hub-bub of the day. Julian decides to blend in & study the many reporters & journalists to know how to disguise himself to infiltrate this institutions.

He leaves after an hour of study to prepare a convincing disguise as an overworked, unpaid intern in the a close by alleyway. He returns to the office & tells the secretary that he has a big scoop by slapping the folder on their desk. They wave him in & Julian proceeds to the editors office. After a perception check Julian sees no one in the office & enters, while writing a note that reads " Priority " he hears an irritable & impatient man ask what he is doing in his office. Julian turns to see a human commoner dressed in a dark gray suit with a black mustache & bald head searing at him, he recognizes him as Gaxly Rudderbust from how JB Nevercott described him. He asks Julian what he is doing in his office. Julian introduces himself as Nevercott& that he has his next big scoop in hand. Gaxly questions why it was opened & Julian says that the lobby secretary opened it. Gaxly tells Nevercottto get a real story & stop stealing mail from the secretary, he needs a new big scoop yesterday! Julian leaves the office & returns to Spookies.

Nevercott's Invitation
Upon arrival at Spookies there sits a figure to the door with a large hat, feather in cap, at the bar. Julian draws the stool next to his. The figure is, of course, JB Nevercott. Julian buys JB Nevercott& himself a beer as JB Nevercott turns to Julian. He congratulates him on a job well done, even though he knew what the contents of the letter he still delivered it. Gives him 200 GP, tells Julian that expects its better pay than what the Harpers can do & gives an invitation to Zardoz Zord 's Flagship in the Dock Wards at Julian's convenience, he can bring one (1) companion if he wishes but doesn't need to. When Julian asks how he will know when JB Nevercott will know when he is coming, the following exchange: "How will you know when I am going to come? Or should I expect that you will just be watching me all the time?" Julian Bellafontaine

"No of course we watch, but you can send me the details of when  to my Haberdashery of course!" JB Nevercott With that JB Nevercott give Gumplin a tip & leaves Spookies.