Welcome to Waterdeep

Introduction to Waterdeep
 Tie in backstories to why they are in Waterdeep OR give general “you’re 5 level-one characters =
hear for many reasons” thing. 125 / 250 / 375 / 500
 Tell them what they’ve learned so far about the city on their first day
o Geography w/ image
o Wards (AGTotR 107)
o City watch & city guard (CS 75)
o Laws (generally just mention Waterdeep is a city of laws)

A Dropped Piece of Paper

 The adventurers are all walking down the High Road in the South Ward. They all see a cloaked and
hooded figure exit a building (The Swords’ Rest, a tavern, CG 52), look around furtively, and rush off
down the street. They all notice a piece of paper fall to the ground from within its cloak.
o Cloaked figure is Etis Bright, a doppleganger working for Shindia Darkeyes who works for the
Xanathar.
o If followed, the figure disappears down an alley and then heads to Dock Ward. There he enters
the warehouse that the kendu would send them to.
 Paper – The folded piece of paper has intersecting lines on it and words written in an unfamiliar
language. It might be a cipher of sorts.
o Intelligence (Investigation) check DC 10 to discern that the map indicates a spot in the City of
the Dead. The cipher indicates “2 a.m. – bring friends”.

A Meeting at Night
 The meeting spot is in the alley between two large tombs.
 A kendu (name “whispering”) waits for them.
o Two other kendu are hiding on the roofs and will attack with shortbows (if needed)
o One kendu is outside the alley and will cut off the rear of the alley (if needed)
o 4 total - Kendu, MM 194, CR ¼, 50 XP
 The kendu’s job is to convince them to see “Etis” who has an office in a warehouse in Dock Ward.
o They should see Etis at night and in secrecy.
o Etis works for the Lords of Waterdeep and needs the adventurer’s help.
o Finding Etis is a small test of their abilities.
o The kendu has a map on him that marks the location.
 Give them the Waterdeep map.
o If they agree to find Etis, he gives them 25 gp as a gesture of good will.

XP Reward: 200 XP total (for either RP’ing the kendu or fighting them)

www.thedmlair.com Lucus Hart © 2017 Page 1 of 5

The Warehouse
 One-story warehouse, no windows, flat roof.
 Front door unlock DC 10.
 Trap door on the roof (open DC 10) – TD on map
 No light inside!
 Inside is full of shelving with oiled-cloth bundles of iron stock (shafts)
 Two guard dogs are sleeping under the racks in the NW corner of the warehouse
o Use Wolf (MM 341, CR ¼, 50 XP)
o Stealth DC 13 not to wake them
o If woken they will start barking; if attacked they attack back
 Office in back corner (open DC 10)
o Desk has ledger book on it with numbers for iron business.
o A locked desk drawer (open DC 15) contains 7 silver trade bars (100 sp each).
o Under the chair is a trap door (Perception DC 10); a ladder leads down into the warehouse
“basement”.

XP Reward: (get past or kill dogs & find trap door to basement) 150 XP

W1 – Dragon Statues
 Four large statues of blue dragons stand in each corner.
 If they inspect the dragons, they will notice large black gems set in collars around the dragons’ necks.
The gems are shaped like tear drops, and currently the pointed part is straight up.
o The gems cannot be removed, but they can be turned. Turning all of the points down disables
the trap. Forcefully removing a gem causes the trap to go off.
 Trap: opening either the West or North doors without first turning gems set in the dragon statue’s
collars causes electricity to jump out of the dragon’s mouths, blanketing the entire room. DC 10 DEX
save or 1d10 damage.
 The doors at the end of the west and north hallways have nothing but brick walls behind them.
o The North hallway brick wall has a loose brick. If removed it contains a golden broach in the
shape of a dragon (100 gp value).

XP Reward: Disable Trap = 200 XP; find golden broach = 25 XP

W2 – Sleeping Kobolds
 Kobolds (MM 195, CR 1/8, 25 XP)
 Six kobolds are sleeping in dirty piles of rags.
o Stealth check DC 8 to not wake them.
o Kobolds only speak Draconic and they demand a “golden dragon” to let them pass. Otherwise
they attack.
 An opening into the sewers is to the South.
 The room smells like urine and feces.
 Trip Wire – Perception DC 10, DEX DC 10 or fall prone, 50% chance to wake kobolds
 Table is piled with dozens of keys.
o One unlocks the east door of W4.
o Require stealth check to take keys.
 Sewer tunnels goes 30 feet and ends in locked iron grate. (Cannot open)

XP Reward: (bypass, RP, or fight kobolds) 150 XP

www.thedmlair.com Lucus Hart © 2017 Page 2 of 5

W3 – Beware Oozes
 Trap – A pressure plate at the curve opens a secret door and room to the north. (Perception DC 13,
Disable DC 10)
 Inside the room is a patch of dark liquid (they’ll think it’s oil).
o Gray ooze (MM 243, CR ½, 100 XP) attacks.

XP Reward: (disable trap or fight ooze) 100 XP

W4 – Guardian Plate
 The east door to this room is locked (DC 15). A key is on the table in W2.
 Two columns stand in this room, and suites of shinning plate armor are on display in the four corners.
 Walking between the columns causes a voice to whisper in Common
o This garden is a lonely place
where many came, and yet remain
the plants grow strong on fertile ground
watered by legacies of pain
and should I plow, my plow would break
on cast-off husks of iron grain
now buried where they fell like wheat.
What am I? Speak! Or face the bane.
o Answer: Battlefield
 They have about 2 minutes to state the answer or 1 animated armor attacks.
 Animated Armor (MM 19, CR 1, 200 XP)

XP Reward: (solve riddle or fight animated armor) 200 XP

W5 – Etis Bright
 Inside the room is a cupboard, a desk, and chairs.
 A man sits comfortably behind the desk. DESCRIBE ETIS FROM NPC SHEET
 A large tiger (MM 339, CR 1, 200 XP) is curled up in a corner, eying them carefully.
 He welcomes them and apologizes for the inconvenience of their passage. It was a test that they passed.
He tells them to take what they will from the cupboard as recompense.
o Potion of healing x 4, Potion of clairvoyance, Potion of diminution
 He explains
o He is a member of the Red Sashes.
o He explains that the Red Sashes are agents of the Lords of Waterdeep. However, they act like
they work against the Lords to throw off suspicion.
o The Red Sashes want to hire them.
o The Shadow Thieves are trying to lodge themselves back in the city.
o He wants them to investigate Alek Lenter, the proprietor of Waukeen’s Wares in the
Adventurer’s Quarter. They suspect he is an agent of the Shadow Thieves, but the City Watch
has been unable to find any evidence of wrongdoing.
o If he is an agent, he must be “taken care of”, but they would also like to use him to find other
agents of the Shadow Thieves in the city.
 If they accept, he will pass them a pouch containing 4 opaque blue jaspers (50 gp each), saying “This will
help pay for any expenses you may have.”

Story Reward XP: 250 XP

Total XP Possible = 1125 (plus RP XP from cards) – almost to level 2.

www.thedmlair.com Lucus Hart © 2017 Page 3 of 5
The Warehouse Overground Map

www.thedmlair.com Lucus Hart © 2017 Page 4 of 5

The Warehouse Underground Map

www.thedmlair.com Lucus Hart © 2017 Page 5 of 5