Blackstaff Tower
Aleina crouched among the tower rafters, peering down to the floor below. She could visualize how the former urchins, all three smaller than her, could have remained hidden while they watched the meeting between the couple with golden devil masks and the masked wizard with the metal hand - presumably the infamous Manshoon. The gaze of anyone glancing up would be drawn to the decorative carved wooden disc with a whorling geometric design at the center of the spokes of the cross beams rather than to the edges of the ceiling.
At the moment it was easy to imagine quietly spying from above as the teleportation circle ensorceled on the stone floor delivered visitors. The circle currently glowed, shimmering light traced through the pattern, flickering through colors - golden, red, blue, green - varying in brightness and intensity then fading from sight.
"Watching Eye curse it!" The woman standing at the edge of the circle growled.
"I don't think whatever that was went as well as she hoped," Jhelnae whispered next to the aasimar.
Judging from the curse and the way the brown-skinned woman thumped the butt of her tall, beak headed, black staff against the floor, the half-drow was right.
"Did you find a stuffed owlbear?" Aleina whispered back.
Jenks had mentioned leaving the toy behind the night his group fled the tower. She glanced at the scorched marks on the beams and the roof - evidence the three children spoke the truth of their escape. It was a wonder the place hadn't burned down! But then perhaps fire suppression magic had been employed.
"No," the half-drow said. "I'm guessing the masked couple picked it up. They probably gave it to the Shard Shunners as a scent reference or something."
The aasimar sighed and nodded. That made sense. There went the hope they'd be able to return the item to Jenks. Maybe they could find another at The Market.
The half-drow leading the way, they descended the ladder to the floor below - which was the third story to this tower.
"It's no good," the Blackstaff, Vajra Safahr said, shaking her head. "There is no way to read any previous teleportation locations. Sometimes there is a magic residue, but this circle is designed to disperse that completely."
"I told you Lady Silverhand tried it already," a thin, pale woman with long straight black hair said.
Aleina and Jhelnae had met both women at the party Renaer Neverember threw to celebrate his safe return, along with his friend Floon's, from their kidnapping. One was the Blackstaff, wielder of the staff of the same name, and the other was her sorceress-successor should anything happen to Vajra, Laraelra Harsard, who actually preferred the nickname Elra, the aasimar recalled.
The annoyed sidelong glance the Blackstaff gave the other woman as well as the matching styles of their leathers, knee high boots, and jackets - Elra wearing brown underneath with a black overcoat while Vajra wore the opposite color scheme - made it apparent they were close friends as well.
"It didn't hurt to try again," the Blackstaff said.
Her piercing colbat blue gaze shifted to the two who had descended from the rafters.
"Find anything?" she asked.
"It's a tower roof," Jhelnae answered with a casual shrug. "With a hidden trap door out and some scorch marks. Other than those useless and already known bits of information, nothing."
Aleina noticed her friend, having been raised among the priestesses of Eilistraee, was less intimidated than she was by the powerful female personalities they frequently found themselves among.
"So," Vajra said. "When we met at Renaer's party, I recall mentioning those with the ability to cast arcane magic were strongly encouraged to join The Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors."
The aasimar gave an apologetic, embarrassed smile. She remembered the conversation.
"Did you say strongly encouraged?" she asked. "I thought you said it was highly recommended."
"I don't think there is much of a difference," Elra said. "Especially since I was part of that conversation and you both gave the impression we'd be seeing your names in the rosters soon. Then the two of you might have drawn the duty of nannying this teleportation circle with these fine gentlemen instead of me."
She followed the statement with a long sigh and the gentlemen in question, four members of the Watch in their green-and-goldenrod doublets and tall steel helmets, shifted slightly at their positions at attention along the wall. The abandoned card game at a table, however, showed the group normally passed guard duty of the teleportation circle in a more leisurely manner when a prominent and leading figure of the city, like the Blackstaff, wasn't around.
"I think you might have gotten the wrong impression of us," Jhelnae said. "We're not the nose in a magic tome kind of arcane casters. So, we wouldn't really fit in if we joined a group like that."
"At Lord Neverember 's party," Vajra said, a hint of a smile on her lips. "You were wearing a skin exposing, backless, slitted dress and your friend wore something equally body hugging and daring. Precisely what part of those ensembles, or lack thereof, supposedly gave us the impression you were 'nose in magic tome' kind of casters?"
"It was the owner of the dress store!" Aleina said, flushing with the memory. "Renaer sent us there and once we got there, Lady Jalanvaloss ambushed us and played dress up like we were a trio of life-sized dolls!"
Sky had also gone with them to the store and the owner had overcome even her disinterested feline nature.
"Why are you complaining?" the half-drow said. "She made us look great! I just wish we got to keep those dresses."
"Lady Jalanvaloss took an interest in you?" the Blackstaff asked, blue-eyed gaze narrowing. "Well, she has always favored adventurers as her playthings. Have you had any contact with her since or someone else who strongly reminded you of her?"
Aleina and Jhelnae shared a look, partly confused and partly in unspoken communication, then shook their heads. Another encounter with the striking, eccentric shop owner with the steely, gray-eyed gaze would have been as memorable as the first and not something either of them would have forgotten.
"Probably just a bit of fun on her part then," Vajra said thoughtfully to herself. "She happens to be at one of her shops and, as you say, living dolls show up."
"You both looked stunning by the way," Elra said. "Among all of her other qualities, Jalanvaloss has a good sense of style."
"She does," the Blackstaff said. "Among other qualities. And you did. What was I talking about again?"
"Joining the Order," her friend reminded.
"Yes," Vajra said, nodding. "The Order. The point is the Watchful Order is for any and all wielders of the Art who would use their abilities in the service of Waterdeep," she continued. "Not just for 'nose in a tome' casters."
"Sorry," the aasimar said. "You're right. We promised to join and never did. We will."
"A lot of wine flowed at that party," Jhelnae said. "Easy for things to slip the mind."
"Then you do still want to join," the Blackstaff said, smiling. "Good. You can come to the Tower and sign the ledger there. And take the greatsword we researched for your companions off my desk. It is rather impractical as a paper weight."
"Greatsword?" the half-drow asked, brow wrinkling in confusion.
"Recovered after a fight with an Oni in the Vanderwood," Vajra reminded.
"Oh, that," Jhelnae said.
"When Laeral said she could have someone research it," Aleina said. "We didn't know that would be with you."
"She knows no other place in Waterdeep has access to libraries like the Tower," the Blackstaff said. "After all, it was her home for many years when she was the Lady Mage of Waterdeep. But it was actually one of the resident practitioners of the Tower, Eiruk, who did the research."
There was something in Vajra's tone suggesting discomfort when she spoke of Laeral Silverhand. But the aasimar reasoned, when you were supposed to be the foremost authority in all things arcane in a city, the presence of the over seven-hundred year old daughter of the goddess of magic would be a bit intimidating. Particularly when she'd also been the lover of your most famous Blackstaff predecessor.
"At any rate," the brown-skinned woman said. "Let's go."
She gestured with the tall, beak-headed staff, and once again, the engraved circle on the floor glowed, this time with a golden light.
"First duty as Watchful Order members," Elra said, "Relieve me from guarding this."
She waved a hand in a manner that indicated the tower.
"Not much longer and we'll be certain no one we can catch and question will br using it," Vajra said. "I was thinking of having them do that other thing we talked about."
"Oh," her friend said, with a knowing look. "That. They are wearing comfortable looking boots."
"What is that?" Aleina asked.
She definitely didn't like the sound of it or the way Elra gave a contemplative look at their footwear. But the Blackstaff had already stepped into the light filled circle and disappeared. Her compatriot gestured for them to follow.
With a resigned glance at each other, the aasimar and half-drow did as ordered. A dizzying, disoriented moment later and they found themselves in another tower of similar size with walls a mix of dark steel and stone. A teleportation circle was present on the floor here as well, but the sigils and runes were different of course. The light from the enscrolled engraving faded during the moments Aleina held herself still to recover from the displaced feeling that always accompanied magical transportation.
"Customarily, Kleeck," the Blackstaff said. "When the master of the Tower returns, apprentices greet her rather than continue to point wands at her."
She spoke to a humanoid avian creature dressed in robes who quickly lowered a pair of wands.
"Following protocol," Kleeck said in a partial screech that sounded masculine and youthful. "Guard against potential invaders. Cast detect enemies on unrecognized arrivals and bind them if they are hostile."
The avian humanoid wiggled each wand as it described each action.
"The Wand of Enemy Detection is in your left claw," Vajra said. "Remember that before you accidentally bind someone and then find out they are friendly."
Kleeck's beak opened to respond, then clacked closed. He wordlessly switched which claw held which wand before returning them to holsters at his belt.
"This way," the Blackstaff said, heading towards a door leading to a cobblestone courtyard.
"I'd never have guessed something with feathers and a raptor's beak could look chagrined," Jhelnae whispered when they were outside and hopefully out of Kleeck's hearing.
"I could completely see myself making a similar mistake," Aleina whispered back sympathetically. "I'd probably bind a couple of people before I fully remembered which was which."
"Three actually is the average we've noticed among the apprentices," Vajra said from ahead of them, staff thumping against the cobblestones as she walked. "I pride myself with only making that particular mistake twice when I was an apprentice."
"You should label them," the half-drow said. "Save yourself some problems."
"Ah, but Blackstaff Tower is also a school," the brown-skinned woman said. "And humiliation is a good teacher. A dispelation casting, a bit of embarrassment, and a string of profuse apologies are small prices to pay - comparatively speaking where magic is concerned - to learn the lesson that none of us are infallible."
"That makes sense," the aasimar said, nodding.
A twenty-foot high dark steel and stone curtain wall surrounded the courtyard with three towers at the corners that matched the one they'd arrived inside.
Another apprentice sat at a guard station fashioned into part of the wall next to an ironwork gate wrought with images of interwoven wands, staves, roses and thorny vines.
"Nothing out of the ordinary this morning, Marek?" the Blackstaff called out as they crossed the cobblestone plaza.
"A few children throwing rocks to watch the Tower's defenses activate," the young man reported. "And a pair of traveling merchants wanting to show you their wares. Harsh words sent one set scurrying and some stinging bolts on the other."
"Which group got what?" Vajra asked, a warning edge in her tone.
"You know how insistent traveling merchants can be," he said, raising his hands in an innocent gesture. "And the bolts were mostly sparkly light. They yelped more out of fright than anything else."
The Blackstaff stopped for a moment, gave a deep sigh, and pinched the bridge of her nose with her free hand.
"You're dealing with any guild representatives who happen to come by complaining," she said, looking up. "And by 'dealing with' I mean groveling apologies and buying a few junk trinkets of whatever those two were hawking."
"Yes, milady," Marek said with a sigh of his own.
"If this is the job of the Blackstaff I could do it and would be good at it," Jhelnae whispered as they started walking again.
"Good at what?" Aleina asked.
"Chastising apprentices," the half-drow said. "Come on! Don't give me that look. You know I'd be good at it."
Once again, despite their hushed tones, the Blackstaff heard them.
"It is one of the more enjoyable aspects," she said, a hint of amusement in her voice.
They headed across the cobblestone plaza fronting the entry gate towards the center tower, obviously the eponymous Blackstaff Tower. Other than a set of sturdy wooden and metal inlaid double doors at its base, it had no other doors or windows. It made it a black, smooth stoned, unlovely thing. Especially in contrast to the gardens alongside and behind it. In terms of architecture, windows and balconies really helped break up a surface, Aleina thought.
"The first Blackstaff was male, right?" she asked.
"Khelben Arunson," Vajra said, nodding. "Why do you ask?"
"It just looks very male in design," the aasimar answered, with a slight nod towards the tower. "That's all."
The brown-skinned woman chuckled.
"It is better on the inside," she said. "You'll see."
"By all that dances," Jhelnae said. "I should hope so!"
One of the wooden doors, carved and engraved with more wand and staff imagery, swung open at the Blackstaff's touch and they proceeded inside. Yet another apprentice awaited them in the entry vestibule. This one was green skin with ridged ears shaped like the back fin of a fish and hair the color of sea foam. His webbed fingers tossed a ball of water back and forth. Two wands lay at the ready on the desk in front of him. He gave a smiling nod to Vajra which she returned. Aleina could feel his curious gaze follow them as they crossed to the circular stair at the center of the tower, but he held his peace.
The Blackstaff said something under her breath as they ascended and the aasimar felt a wave of disorienting dizziness that made her pause and put a hand against the stairwell wall for balance. The half-drow had stopped as well, letting Aleina know she wasn't alone in the feeling. Then they hurried up the steps after their guide.
"Water genasi," Vajra said as they emerged in a large round room. "The apprentice just inside the tower is a water genasi, in case you were wondering."
Both Aleina and Jhelnae were too busy looking around in wonder to respond. None of this was right. No windows had been visible on the tower from the outside, but here, in a room inside, windows lay all around the outside walls and provided a panoramic view of the Castle Ward and the city beyond. And it was quite a view, they seemed much higher than the third story of a tower. Also, the aasimar knew she hadn't climbed anywhere close to even three flights of steps. A central tabletop displayed a magnificent building-by-building map of what was obviously the city of Waterdeep, complete with the mountain. But how was that possible? They'd been ascending a central stair and so, it stood to reason, the stairway should have emerged at the center under the tabletop rather than to the side.
"I told you it was better inside," the brown-skinned woman said.
Reason, it seemed, did not much apply to the interior of Blackstaff Tower.
"First things first," Vajra said, moving to a desk with a familiar scabbarded great sword leaning against it. "Let's get you officially on the roll ledger."
She hauled a thick leather-bound tome to the edge of the desk and started flipping through pages by the hundreds, then flipping back when she found empty pages to the last entry.
"Do you swear to use your arcane gifts for the good of the City of Waterdeep?" she asked. "Heeding all calls for service by the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors? A call that will not be rendered without need or cause?"
Despite the casual tone, this all felt very official. They were at the point of no return. After a confirming glance, Aleina and Jhelnae hesitantly spoke together.
"Yes."
"Sign here please," the Blackstaff said, moving out of their way to give them access to the book and pointing at a quill and an inkwell.
The aasimar felt a tingling settle over her as the quill tip scratched out her name.
"There are that many arcane casters in Waterdeep," she asked while the half-drow signed.
"This is one of three copies," Vajra said. "All magically linked. Your names will appear in those others as well. These pages contain all the members, but some have their status updated to out of the city or deceased of course."
"Deceased?" Aleina asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Dead," the Blackstaff said. "Lifeless. Departed."
"I know what the deceased means," the aasimar said. "But… wouldn't it make more sense to just cross their entry out at that point?"
"With users of magic," Vajra said, shrugging. "You never know."
"Works for me," the half-drow said, finishing her signature with a flourish. "Now, what can you tell us about the sword the others found? Is it some sort of evil artifact or something?"
"Actually, the opposite," the Blackstaff said. "Based on Eiruk's research, this sword has had a long and strange journey to find its way to Waterdeep. This is the Greatsword of Impiltur, forged in cold iron after the Fiend Wars to kill demons."
"Impiltur?" the aasimar asked.
"A country to the northeast of the Sea of Fallen Stars," the half-drow answered.
She was from the Forest of Cormanthor, which was near the Sea of Fallen Stars, far to the east of where they were now.
"The sword was lost when the ship it was on," Vajra said, continuing the story. "Also carrying the intended princess bride to the crown prince of Cormyr at the time, sank. There the sword's story should have ended. But the long time enemy of Impiltur, a succubus by the name of Sonellion, recovered it along with other regalia of the realm. These she wielded against the country, finally gifting it to her consort, the defeated King Imphras, whom she resurrected as a Death Knight."
"Hold on a moment," Jhelnae said. "Killing him wasn't enough? She then resurrected him in a twisted form to be her consort? Where can I find this bitch so I can end her by ramming this sword down her throat?"
The Blackstaff gave a grim, thin-lipped smile to the half-drow's statement.
"No need for that," she said. "In one of the few blessings of the SpellPlague, the story goes, the Blue Fire ripped Soneillon and her death knight consort apart."
"Hopefully allowing him to pass on to a better place," Aleina said.
"Hopefully," Vajra agreed.
She did not sound overly hopeful that was true.
"So," the half-drow said. "How did the sword end up here? Wielded by an oni?"
"Most probable theory," the Blackstaff said. "The oni was a minion she'd bound to her service and took the sword as a spoil when her death freed him."
"And these?" the aasimar asked, noticing the green and gold vambraces the oni had worn on the end of the desk and pointing at them.
"Those are the Vambraces of Whinonas," Vajra said. "Also a treasure of Impiltur and woven with protective spells. Soneillon is known to have worn them, so also probably something the oni picked up after her death."
"Royal treasures?" Aleina said. "I suppose they should be returned to Impiltur then."
"Perhaps," the Blackstaff said, thoughtfully. "Or perhaps fate has put them in the hands of your group for some unknown future purpose. Who can say?"
"I'll carry the vambraces," Jhelnae said.
She slipped her hands through the openings and the arm guards shimmered and shrank from the size of an oni arm to fit the half-drow.
"Very thoughtful of you," the aasimar said, rolling her eyes hoisting up the sword.
She shouldered the leather strap attached to the scabbard. It wasn't too bad to carry it in this fashion.
"Now," Vajra said. "It is traditional for new members of the Watchful Order to perform a task in a show of their good faith. I have just the thing."
"Here it comes," Jhelnae said with a sigh.
The Blackstaff moved to the three-dimensional rendering of Waterdeep on the center table and the other two followed.
"Around here," the brown-skinned woman said, pointing at the model of Mount Waterdeep. "Near the top but below the eyrie of the Griffon Cavalry is a cave inhabited by an aesthetic monk named Hlam. He spends most of his time in meditation, which somehow gives him cryptic intuition that, when combined with our divination efforts, sometimes reveals insight. Go up and ask him if he has contemplated any threats to Waterdeep."
The aasimar and half-drow looked at each other in surprise.
"That's it?" Jhelnae asked. "Hike up a trail and ask a question to some hermit? We were afraid it was going to be something difficult."
"That is it," Vajra said. "Simple."
Despite the reassuring words, the smile the Blackstaff gave made Aleina feel uneasy for some reason.
"Sounds easy," she said. "But why don't you just use a sending spell? Teleport to him? Or ride a griffon?"
"Hlam appreciates those who put in the physical effort it takes to reach his cave," the brown skinned woman said, still wearing a disconcerting knowing smile.
"Is the trail really steep or something?" the aasimar asked.
"Nothing two young ladies agile enough to wear the heels you wore to Renaer's party can't handle," Vajra said. "The stairs are set to deliver you to the entry vestibule and the apprentices will let you out."
Task given - they were being dismissed.
"One more thing," the Blackstaff called out as they reached the stairway down and she sat at her desk. "Hlam will likely expect you to join him for his workout before he passes on any of his wisdom."
"So, a hike," Jhelnae said. "A workout. A chat and another hike down. Got it. Easy."
As they descended the spiraling stairs, Aleina found herself really wishing her friend had not just said that. Where her group was concerned, those kinds of statements had a tendency of circling back, rearing up, and biting them.
Okay...lots of notes on this one.
This one is again a set up and the quest given is from the module. The module basically has it that you roll the dice and determine if you get exhaustion or not. Which is sort of strange because, since you own an inn, you can just go back and sleep it off. My DM got an adventure off of the DMs Guild that expanded it and we fought a manticore and some of Manshoon's thugs and it all worked out great.
Except one thing...why would there be a manticore in what is essentially still part of the city? Particularly since the top of the mountain houses part of the Griffon Calvary? That manticore ain't lasting too long up there. But we didn't even think about it and had a fun time anyway. I'm going to handle it differently and not really going into detail with it.
I promised to give history on the Oni's Greatsword. Now, here is the question. Are such flavor and lore drops any fun? I will confess I know far too much about Impiltur because, back when Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft came out, I wanted to try my hand at designing a Domain of Dread. So, after rifling through the lore, I found out about a succubus with a death knight consort who was ripped from the realm during the Spellplague and thought, "This is a good base..." and had my fun tinkering and messing with it. Yes, I know what you are thinking. Don't you DARE send the characters to that domain of dread. Don't worry...I know I've been all over the place and I need to tighten it up. We'll finish up Dragonheist and then get back to the end of Out of the Abyss with no more detours. I've tried your patience enough!
Lore with the Blackstaff - I've read Blackstaff Tower where Vajra becomes the Blackstaff and during those events she forms close bonds with Renaer Neverember, Laraelra Harsard, Meloon Wardragon, and Eiruk Weskur. Then, in Deathmasks, written by a different author (Ed Greenwood) she seems friendless, delusional, and suffering from a mental crisis like a decade or so later. I chose to ignore the later novel and focus on the former and make her older and wiser (more than a decade has passed since those events) and still close with those she shared that formative adventure with. The novel ends, after all, with them all pledging to support each other in their efforts to protect Waterdeep.
The Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors - from reading the novels, I didn't get the impression they answered to the Blackstaff. BUT, to quote Dragonheist, "Wizards, sorcerers, and other arcane spellcasters who intend to stay in Waterdeep for any length of time are required to register with the city, and will be strongly encouraged to join the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, headed by the Blackstaff."
So I used this as an excuse to get Aleina and Jhelnae into Blackstaff Tower and a new quest giver. And yes, I know I was being flippant about making up lore for a big magic leather-bound roster book. I don't know if actual lore has been established...
Blackstaff Tower - I tried to stick to lore. I found a 2e map of the place (along with where apprentices were stationed and what wands they wielded). But then there seemed to be different rooms in the novel Blackstaff Tower and yet more rooms in Deathmasks and so I just blended stuff together as best I could.