Trollskull Manor
Kuhl stopped chewing his bite of pork pie, its savory flavor suddenly evaporating in his mouth, partly because of what Volo had just said, but mostly because of how Jhelnae's eyes narrowed in response. He sensed a storm brewing behind her gaze and, judging from the looks of it, Aleina was not too far behind.
"You'll need to repeat that," the half-drow said. "Because I'm a bit tired, having spent most of last night crawling through sewers..."
"And being ambushed by kenku in a warehouse," the aasimar added, holding up a thumb. "Almost getting our brains sucked out by a mind flayer, caring for the victim of his pet brain creature, almost throwing my arm out of its socket playing daggers…"
She counted off each thing on her fingers as she mentioned it until Jhelnae interrupted her to take over the conversation again.
"Yes, and all that as well," the half-drow said. "So, in my understandable exhaustion, I might have misheard you. Did you just say you couldn't pay us the promised reward for rescuing Floon?"
"Those two keep talking about crawling through sewers," Dawnbringer said in Kuhl's mind. "I don't recall any crawling last night. Climbing up and down ladder rungs, yes, walking, yes, running, yes, but no crawling."
"Not a good idea to correct them at the moment," the half-elf thought.
"Probably true," his sword sent back.
Kuhl took a drink of Shadowdark Ale from his tankard to wash down what was left of his bite of pork pie. They were back in the Yawning Portal, sitting near the eponymous well-like hole at the center. Cold air wafted up from its dark depths to add a bit of a chill to the tap room despite the sunlight streaming in through the windows. It was almost high sun - the companions having slept in after the aforementioned adventures of last night.
"That is what he said," Fargas laughed. "Well, he was pretty inebriated last night. Probably should have waited for him to sober up before trusting the amount of the reward."
"Shouldn't you be off peddling potions with your partners?" Aleina asked, arching an eyebrow. "Instead of giving us useless advice in hindsight. Where are Ront and Surash by the way?"
"We had a busy night as well," the halfling said, pausing to take a bite of his own sausage pie, obviously relishing it, then he continued. "Plenty of potion vials were peddled. Ront's new friend took us to some festhalls and they each bought some for resale. She also introduced us to Bonnie, our barmaid from last night here. Bonnie has a halfling friend, and one thing led to another…"
He trailed off, letting them all draw the obvious conclusion as he ate.
"You were on some sort of triple date last night?" the aasimar asked. "While the rest of us were fighting for our lives down in a stinking sewer?"
"What can I say," Fargas said, between bites. "It's what happened."
"Fargas and the others found dates?" Dawnbringer sounded in Kuhl's mind. "Maybe they have a fourth friend who could be introduced to a certain half-elf."
"Well while you were wasting time with that," Sky said, tail lashing. "We were having fun! And you missed it. There was this floating orb monster. It shot Kuhl with rays from its eye stalks. Then there was a duergar. He grew, went invisible, and hit Kuhl with his big hammer…"
"You have a lot to offer," the half-elf's sentient blade mentally sent, still going on about a hypothetical date. "Polite, nice to look at, and how many can say they are the bearer of a magic sword forged in the age of Netheril? Not many…"
"Yeah, sounds real fun," Fargas deadpanned, interrupting the tabaxi's recounting. "Especially for Kuhl. Think my night was far more pleasurable."
His smile settled into a self-satisfied smirk.
Jhelnae rolled her eyes. "Can't help but notice that the others are still in bed while you're up. Guess they had a more exciting night than you?"
"I don't think that is possible," Fargas said. "And I was tempted to sleep in longer, but I got hungry. I'd missed breakfast and wasn't going to miss midday meal as well."
"That's our Fargas," Aleina sighed, shaking her head. "Ruled by his stomach."
"Three ladies found you, Ront, and Surash irresistible?" the half-drow said. "Sounds suspicious. Probably three pickpockets working their marks. That makes a lot more sense."
A panic-stricken look crossed Fargas's face, but he calmed after patting his pockets.
"Sounds like someone is just jealous," he said. "Jealous we had a more enjoyable and more profitable night than they did."
The mention of profit reminded the half-drow and aasimar of the question of the reward for rescuing Floon. Their gazes fell back on the little man wearing the floppy hat sitting at their table.
"Speaking of a profitable night…" Jhelnae said.
Volo had been more than content to sit and listen, enjoying the reprieve provided by Fargas. He blanched as attention returned to him once more.
"I confess that I have but few coins to spare," he said. "But never let it be said that Volo reneges on a promise. Allow me to present something much more valuable."
He held out a scroll tube.
"The deed to a remarkable property here in Waterdeep! We'll need a magistrate to witness the transfer of ownership. I'll arrange a meeting with one after you've inspected the estate and deemed it satisfactory."
An uncomfortable silence descended. Jhelnae stared at the scroll tube as if it were poison. No one else at the table moved to take it either. Volo finally just lowered it onto the table.
"Aleina," the half-drow said. "Didn't we learn last night that the bartender at the Skewered Dragon got that place instead of the coin owed to her?"
"She did," the aasimar said.
"Did she seem happy with that deal?" Jhelnae asked.
"Not so much," Aleina said.
"Not so much," the half-drow repeated. "And now you, Volo, expect us to make the same mistake?"
"You can't compare the Skewered Dragon to the property I'm offering you," the little man sputtered.
He seemed genuinely offended.
"First off, Trollskull Manor is in the North Ward, not the Dock Ward," he said.
"Is the North Ward better?" Jhelnae asked.
"Is the North Ward better?" Volo repeated, incredulous. "Do troglodytes stink? Does a rust monster eat metal? Does a displacer beast have six legs? Do red dragons breathe fire?"
It seemed like he might go on, but Kuhl cut him off.
"So, this North Ward is better," he said.
The little man sighed. "I suppose better is a relative term. More affluent, yes, but my friends and I would rather drink at the Skewered Dragon than the taverns of the North Ward. The patrons there are primarily noble ladies and merchant wives who have left their brood of brats in the care of nannies so they can share some gossip with friends. In a word, the ward is boring with no chance of a couple of fastfists starting a barroom brawl."
Aleina's hand snaked out and snatched up the scroll tube.
"That doesn't sound boring," she said. "It actually sounds quite pleasant. Can't hurt to at least take a look at the place I suppose."
"I want to come see it as well," Fargas said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "I have a feeling I'm not going to want to miss your reaction when you see the place."
"Fine," Jhelnae said. "We'll have a look. But we haven't agreed to anything."
"Understood," Volo said, standing.
As a group, they left the Yawning Portal and followed Volo through the streets of Waterdeep. They took Snail Street north and Kuhl reflected that, at this time of day, with carts, carriages, and pedestrians choking cobblestone road, it was aptly named. Once it widened and the road signs changed to call it the High Road, traffic flow improved. Volo pointed out points of interest as they traveled.
"Back in my day," the little man said. "That inn was known as Dagger's Rest."
The walls of the old building he gestured at were constructed of fieldstone at street level and timber for the three upper floors. It's roof was flat, and carved stone gargoyles stared down from above. The sign over its door named it The Inn of the Dripping Dagger and the faded painting on the sign depicted the namesake weapon with droplets of blood hanging off the unsheathed blade.
"There is a minotaur bouncer there and the door is supposedly haunted," their guide said. "It utters cryptic phrases whenever anyone enters. The Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors investigated the phenomenon but came to no conclusion. I have a small blurb devoted to it in my upcoming book, Volo's Guide to Spirits and Specters."
"What do you mean by 'back in your day'?" Kuhl asked.
He was familiar with the term, but Volo was not old yet. Later middle-aged at most.
"No matter how many years are left to me," the little man said. "I think I'll always consider the time before my capture in the imprisonment spell my true life. It's just not the same now. Too many people I used to know are not around anymore."
The half-elf nodded as if in understanding, but young as he was, he doubted he could truly relate.
"Well, I can," Dawnbringer said, mental voice sounding a bit somber. "An age passed while I was in the tomb of Brysis and much changed in the time between."
"Besides Evereska, the Underdark, and now the High Forest," Kuhl thought back. "I haven't seen much of Toril myself. We can learn about it together. Including this city."
"That sounds like a fine idea," the sword sent telepathically, tone brighter.
For a time, their journey passed in silence, with Volo no longer eager to act as a tour guide, his thoughts lost in the past, Kuhl suspected.
"THE BLACK VIPER STRIKES AGAIN!" A street cryer yelled, waving a broadsheet. "AMCATHRA JEWELS STOLEN!"
Volo smiled as he moved past the yelling boy and the bundle of broadsheets for sale at his feet.
"Then again," the little man said. "The more things change, the more they stay the same. A Black Viper was at large in my day as well. If it is the same one, she must be an elf or a vampire or some similar long lived being."
A couple of blocks later their progress was stopped by a guardsman wearing the green and gold tabard of the Watch. He wielded blue and yellow hand flags and a whistle at his lips. He halted the flow of traffic going their direction with a shrill blow while raising the yellow flag. Kuhl watched as one of the towering drays trundled by - a long, glassed-in carriage with bench seating pulled by a team of horses and having open-air bench seating on its roof.
"Jhelnae and I sat on the roof of one of those yesterday," Sky said. "You look down at the top of everyone's heads. Kind of like being a bird. A low flying, slow one."
"No thanks," Fargas said. "If halflings were meant to look down on people, we'd be taller."
"For getting around the city," Volo said. "They aren't much faster than walking. But quite convenient when your feet are tired, or you want to get some writing done Just jump up onto those rear steps and pay the fare taker. That one circles the Market."
Aleina eyed the two- and three story stone buildings across the cobblestone street doubtfully.
"Market?" she asked. "That doesn't look like a market. They look like residences."
"Oh dear," their guide said. "You haven't been to the Market? Please tell me you've been to the Market."
"We arrived late the day before yesterday," Jhelnae said. "Haven't had time for shopping. And thanks to not getting a certain reward promised to us, not much coin to do it with."
"The Market is behind those buildings," Volo said, ignoring the half-drow's jibe. "It's the largest open space in the city. But of course crammed full of a warren of ever changing stalls and carts. It's like taking a tour of the Realms. Merchants from all over, sometimes even as far off as Kara-tur."
"That does sound interesting," Aleina said. "We'll have to visit it."
"Watch out for pickpockets," Volvo said. "They are very active there."
"We have a good defense against those," Jhelnae said. "Sky caught a few trying when we rode the dray."
The guardsman directing traffic gave a short blow of the whistle and waved a blue flag towards them and they started walking again - carried along with the rest of the pedestrian, cart, and carriage traffic going north along the High Road.
"Shopping?" Sky said, tail lashing. "Yuck. No thanks."
"We'll all go, Sky," Aleina said. "Ront and Surash too. It'll be fun.
"Are we going to just walk through and see all the interesting people and sights?" the tabaxi asked. "Because that does sound interesting. But if you and Jhelnae are going to do that thing where you hold clothes against your body and pester me for my opinion, then no. Because that is torture. Worse yet, after all that looking, you never actually bought anything! It was a waste of time."
"Oh, you're exaggerating," the aasimar said. "We were on the road. Making use of teleportation circles. We barely had time to visit the markets of the towns we went through."
"Still torture, Sky said with a dismissive wave.
"Fine," Aleina said. "We won't ask your opinion on anything. Satisfied?"
"Not really," the tabaxi said.
"Well, I'll gladly give my opinion," Fargas said, chuckling. "And if you somehow actually convince Ront to go, I'm sure he'll give his."
"Yeah, no," Jhelnae said with an eye roll.
While they talked, their feet and the flow of traffic had continued to carry them northward and they came across another young broadcryer standing next to his bundle of broadsheets. Pedestrians flowed around him like he was an immovable rock in a rushing river.
"TALKING HORSE SAYS SCARECROW CAME TO LIFE AND SLAUGHTERED LIVESTOCK!" the boy yelled. "COUSIN PULLING PRODUCE CART FROM OUTLYING FARM TOLD HIM STORY!"
"Talking horse?" Volo sighed, shaking his head. "The Waterdeep Wazoo is as sensationalized as ever. Ah, here we are, Delzorin Street. We turn here."
"This is a nicer part of the city," Aleina said.
It was true. There had been a gradual shift as they moved northward. A culmination of little things. The cobbles were better maintained, the delineation between pedestrian walkway and road for horse, cart, and carriage more pronounced. The townhomes were sturdily built with multi-tiered gables and dormers with upper floors including wide balconies. These, along with the windows, usually included flower boxes bursting with colorful spring blossoms, and the steps leading up to the front entry were guarded by decorative metal gates.
Volo soon turned north again, the street signs on plaque on the corner building identified it as Windborne Way. A local tavern caught Kuhl's eye, Frewn's Brews. It didn't seem to fit the local architecture, squat and functional with little architectural flair. After only a block, they turned again. This time the street signs read Saerdoun Street.
"The Book Wyrm's Treasures," Jhelnae said, reading a shop sign.
The picture on the sign depicted a gold dragon curled around a horde of books and a glance in the windows showed the place was stuffed to bursting with shelves of them.
"We'll have to stop in there on the way back," Aleina said.
"Well, we're not waiting if you do," Fargas said. "Browse to your heart's content but find your own way back to the Portal."
"Yeah," Sky agreed. "Not waiting."
"Fine by me," the half-drow said.
Kuhl inwardly sighed. If he didn't find a way to convince them to trade some in, those two would eventually fill Sky's magic bag with trashy chapbooks.
"Oh, let them have their hobby," Dawnbringer said. "The bag's weight doesn't change, and three little books is hardly a library. You should try reading them. You might find one you like."
"I tried," Kuhl thought back. "Just the cover made me blush. I don't know how those two can read those in common rooms, not caring who notices."
"Well get over it and try again," his sword mentally sent. "A certain sentient sun blade might enjoy them."
"If you buy any of my books there," Volo said. "I'll be happy to sign them. Slight signing fee, of course, as the book immediately becomes more valuable, and I don't get any proceeds from secondhand sales."
"What is that place?" Sky asked.
That place was a townhouse like many others in the area with a utilitarian air - none of the floral boxes or personal touches were evident, other than a large orange and black sign affixed to its decorative metal gate with a cat's eye in the middle.
"No idea," Volo said. "But here we are! Trollskull Manor."
The little man gestured at a building at a corner leading into an alleyway.
"By all that dances!" Jhelnae said. "Go ahead and have your laugh, Fargas. No, Volo, just no. You can't be serious. That place is a ruin."
It was a ruin. Nearly all the windows in the three-story structure were boarded up and the remaining ones shattered in their frame. Its copper roof was green with patches of shingles missing, exposing the rotting wood beneath. Fallen bricks were scattered around the chimneys and a few looked ready to fall over completely. Whole sections of railing were missing from the two balconies that ran along the upper two floors and paint, where there was any, peeled in curling strips.
For a time, the companions just stared - passerbys giving annoyed looks as they were forced to step off the pedestrian walkway to get around them.
"Well, if you aren't interested…" Volo said, turning.
"It has good bones," Aleina said, contemplatively.
"Good bones?" the half-drow said. "Bones that are all that are left of that place. Look at it."
"And she's right," Fargas said. "Those bones are good. I like the turret."
Kuhl was surprised. The building that they were being offered for the rescue of Floon Blagmaar was neglected and dilapidated. But the halfling wasn't laughing or mocking them as expected. A speculative look gleamed in his eyes.
"I like the copper roof," the aasimar said. "It gives it a stately appearance. It must have been very grand in its heyday."
"Oh, it was," Volo said, nodding. "A tavern with a good reputation and fine brews. I prefer boisterous and shameless in the places I drink, but Trollskull Manor definitely was worth a visit when you wanted a quieter evening of conversation or darts."
"Just what is going on here?" Jhelnae asked. "Are we actually thinking of taking Volo's offer?"
"The underlying site alone must be worth ten times what he owes you," Fargas said. "More. How did you acquire it?"
"The city finally got around to auctioning it off," the little man said. "No one knew about it. There was only one competing bidder."
"I don't know," the half-drow said doubtfully.
Aleina put her arm around Jhelnae and pointed at the building. "Think about it. We fix it up, re-open the tavern below to give us some income, we could lease that, and we live above. It could be great. What do you think, Sky?"
The tabaxi shrugged. "We don't even need to fix it up. Lay out our bedrolls and stay as long as we want, then leave it behind. I don't care."
"We could actually run the tavern," the halfing said. "One of us knows something about brewing."
"First off, you don't get a say," the half-drow said. "You weren't part of the group that rescued Floon. You were off peddling potions, and by your accounts, having the time of your life without us. And second off, did all of you forget what we talked about last night? The mind flayer. Whatever this Xanathar Guild is? We said we should probably get the reward and leave Waterdeep. This is the opposite of that."
"An actual home, Jhelnae," the aasimar said. "Think about it. Once we have the tavern leased out below, we can go and come back whenever we want. We won't be tied to it. And if a mind flayer or anyone else comes around, they're going to learn what happens to those who make trouble for the Sweet Sisterhood of Swanmays."
"Sweet Sisterhood of Swanmays?" Volo asked, confused.
"Ah, we actually voted against that name, remember?" Fargas said. "Four to three."
But the aasimar and half-drow ignored him, and Jhelnae was nodding.
"That does sound sort of nice," she said.
Aleina looked over to Kuhl.
"How about you?" she asked. "You've been very quiet."
In truth he was still trying to absorb it all. When he woke up this morning, he was a vagabond adventurer, hoping for a reward so he could continue to pay for his room at the Yawning Portal, or travel expenses if they chose to leave Waterdeep. Now he was being asked if they wanted to acquire a property. But the decision was easy. Aleina was as excited as she'd ever been and the expression on Jhelnae's face said she was now looking at the place with different eyes and liking what she saw.
"I think we should take it," he said.
"You'll need funds to fix it up," Fargas said. "I know some people who still have the treasure they acquired in the Underdark and have made more since with the sale of their potions. They might be convinced to provide those funds for equal shares in the property for them."
"I don't know," the half-drow. "Someone told me the underlying site alone is worth a lot. An equal share in the property might be too much."
"Oh, I agree," the halfling said. "I'd never suggest you make such a deal with a stranger. But for a friend?"
He held out his hand.
Jhelnae glanced at Aleina, Sky, and Kuhl, receiving a nod from each.
"Not for a friend," she said. "But for a family member? Definitely."
They shook, and it was decided.
A thought entered Kuhl's mind.
"One thing," he said, looking at Volo. "If this place is so valuable, and has so much potential, why give it to us? Didn't you buy it to fix it up as well?"
The little man shook his head. "I'm no speculator in real estate. I'm a legendary scholar, traveler, and writer. I bought this place as research for my upcoming book Volo's Guide to Spirits and Specters. With that nearly complete, I have no more need for the place."
"What do spirits and specters have to do with a building?" the half-elf asked, suspecting he knew the answer, but not wanting to believe it.
"Oh," Volo said. "Did I forget to mention the place is haunted?"
I just had to get this out so I'd stop thinking about it! I've got a lot to get done, and I can't resist the urge to fiddle with things once I get well into it. The solution, post it, and move on!
Hopefully it reads okay. It is very transitiony...but that is the nature of stringing together a narrative I suppose.