Tonight was the night for our soft opening. We have been so busy chasing the elusive Stone of Golorr all over Waterdeep, that we’ve barely had time to prepare. Luckily, Renaer did much of the heavy lifting for us. Before the guests began to arrive, Barrage came asking about the body of Urstul Floxin. He suggested it would be best to remove the body as Crawley would be attending in his official capacity as a member of the watch. We reluctantly conceded, unsure of how Crawley would react. We agreed to meet the Harpers at midnight to get answers from Floxin’s corpse.
As the guests began to arrive, things were going smoothly. Our plans to run a successful tavern just may work out. Boaz gave an amazing performance from the stage, and the guests seemed to be enjoying themselves. Then Crawley arrived. As predicted, he was in uniform accompanied by Barnibus Blastwind. We feigned ignorance of any dead body in our possession, and Crawley fumed at us. He left in a rage. I have serious concerns for our ongoing relationship with him. It will be a complication to be sure.
Jumanji met a woman that needed a place to lie low for a while. He agreed to let her stay up in the attic. Trench, from the Tiger’s Eye was in attendance. He mentioned that he dug up some information on the Shard Shunners. It seems they were working for Emmek Frewn. We must ask Volo about this man as soon as possible. Trench also introduced us to a woman named Vevette, who works for a trading guild. Boaz took this in from the stage and noted that Vevette seemed to get nervous at the sight of Crawley. She immediately made her way to the kitchen. Jumanji followed and found her outside the servant’s entrance. She confided that she was worried that the watch may be looking for her.
Barnabus was finally distracted from his drinking when he became curious about the area where Vevette was previously seated. Again, Boaz noted this from the stage. He stopped playing and approached the man to ask what he was looking for. We convened in our private room. Barnabus told us that Vevette had a powerful magic item on her person – so powerful that he could still sense where she had carried it. He also mentioned that we might make peace with Crawley if we help him with the investigation into the fireball in our alley. As we left Barnabus, Tobby shared an idea he had. He suggested inviting Crawley to the Floxin questioning tonight. It was brilliant. I left to get permission from the Harpers immediately. There was no time to lose! Mirt gave his blessing for Crawley’s attendance under strict guidelines. Shava and Jumanji left to meet Barnabus for a meeting at 10:00. Things were happening quickly.
We received a note from a cab driver dispatched by Shava and Jumanji that they were following Vevette, and we raced to join them. When we arrived, a chase ensued. Shava and Tobby were racing after Vevette who was leaping from rooftop to rooftop. They were just barely able to keep up. We watched from the ground below and did our best not to lose them. At one point Vevette jumped from a roof and landed in the back of a moving wagon. Moments later she rolled from the wagon and continued to flee and made her way into a building. Boaz, Shava and I followed. There was a distracted
matre d’ in the lobby, so Boaz and Shava wisely snuck past the man. I am not the quietest person, so I opted to toss the man a coin, hoping for the best. Behind a black curtain, there seemed to be a meeting filled with black-hooded people gathered in a darkened room. I attempted to use magic to gain an appearance close to theirs. If only I were better at concealing myself when casting the spell, it might have worked. At least i was a distraction for Boaz and Shava who made their way to the kitchen. The cooks were already in an alarmed state. They followed the sound of commotion up a set of stairs. There they found a ladder to the roof. They witnessed someone get kicked in the face , then falling to the ground. They climbed and ended up cornering Vevette on the roof. Shava determined that Vevette had the Stone of Golorr, and convinced her to trade it for a cache of valuable gems. The trade complete, Vevette fled once again. We brought the Stone back to our manor in order for Shava to determine just what the thing is.
With time running out, Tobby made his way to the home of Crawley. He was still upset, but ultimately agreed to the terms of the meeting. Perhaps we haven’t completely torched our bridge with the man after all.