# ✧ Episode 16 - The Fish Swims Deeper **Date:** Tuesday, 3rd February, 2026 **Location:** [[Waterdeep]] North Ward to [[TheManor]] **Notes**: as written by [[Kozu Marphanis]] ![[2026-02-04_02-00-55_mighty_hands_ep16_v2_1.png]] ## Session Summary - Sometimes the universe has a sense of humor. One moment you're catching your breath after nearly dying to a "gardener," the next you're trying to talk your way out of a conversation with the City Watch while a voice in your head offers you a promotion in an assassins' guild. Just another Tuesday in Waterdeep, I suppose. - After our chaotic assault on the [[Gralhund Villa]], [[Martyn Littlewood]] and I found ourselves face-to-face with [[Barnabus]] of the City Watch, twelve guards, and two griffin riders. While I desperately tried (and failed) to secure a griffin ride home, my companions inside successfully recovered the Stone of Golorr. But the real twist came during our walk back to [[TheManor]] - a telepathic message from the Zanifar guild, offering me a chance to prove my worth through betrayal and theft. The little fish just got an invitation to swim in much deeper waters. - By the time we all regrouped at headquarters, [[Iz]] and [[Dolous]] had attuned to the Stone and discovered it contained a riddle: an invisible creature, a bronze dragon scale, and dwarven ale - three keys to unlock [[Dagult Neverember]]'s legendary dragon hoard. As we settled in for the night, each of us felt something shift within - that familiar tingle of growth and power. [[The Mighty Hands]] had leveled up, and I finally felt my reflexes sharpen to the peak I'd been training toward. ## The Adventure Continues from [[Episode 15]] - [[Martyn Littlewood]] and I stood there against the garden wall, both of us still trying to process the fact that a "gardener" had nearly killed us. My back still ached from where those daggers had found their mark, even after the healing potion. Fifteen hit points worth of ache, to be precise. - That's when we heard it - the unmistakable sound of armored boots marching in formation. The City Watch. A lot of them. - I turned to Martyn with what I hoped was a confident grin. "Didn't you used to be a policeman?" I asked, trying to sound casual despite my racing heart. "You got this for the talking." - Martyn gave me a look that said he remembered exactly why he'd left that life behind. "It was a phase, back in the day," he muttered. - I put my thumb up encouragingly. "You got this. Okey doakey." - We both stood up, brushed ourselves down, and tried to look like respectable citizens who definitely hadn't just killed a man in someone else's garden. Professional appearance is half the battle in situations like these. - Twelve City Watch guards rounded the corner, led by a stern-looking man who introduced himself as Barnabus. Above us, I heard the distinctive screech of griffins and looked up to see two magnificent beasts descending from the sky, their riders in full City Watch regalia. They landed with surprising grace for creatures that large. - "What are you doing here?" Barnabus demanded, his hand resting meaningfully on his sword pommel. - I put on my most innocent, helpful face - the one that's served me well in countless tight spots. "We're investigating a matter for a friend," I explained, keeping my tone respectful but not subservient. "Looks like we might be investigating the same thing, actually." - Barnabus narrowed his eyes but seemed to accept this. He ordered his guards to approach the property while instructing the griffin riders to keep watch. Martyn and I were to wait here at the front gates. Not ideal, but better than being arrested. - As the guards moved toward the villa, I saw my opportunity. Those griffins were right there, magnificent and powerful. I turned to Barnabus with what I hoped was my most charming smile. - "Say, any chance I could catch a lift home on the back of one of those griffins?" - Barnabus looked at me like I'd just asked to marry his daughter. "No way," he said flatly. - Worth a shot. ## The Walk Home - With our griffin transportation dreams thoroughly crushed, Martyn and I began the walk back toward [[TheManor]]. The evening air was cool, and my mind was still racing from the fight. That's when it happened. - A voice. Not in my ears - in my mind. Clear as day and twice as unsettling. - *"You wish to join the Zanifar,"* the voice said, cold and calculating. *"Prove it. Disrupt the guild. Destroy the base with the details we give, or steal the precious fish."* - The Zanifar. The assassins' guild I'd been trying to infiltrate for weeks now. They were finally making contact, but this... this wasn't what I expected. - I sent a message back using my telepathic connection, keeping my mental voice casual, almost cocky. *"Your little fish here has already sent the City Guard in."* - There was a pause. Then the voice came back, and I could almost hear the irritation in it. - *"You idiot. That is the wrong guild. I will be in contact for destroying and stealing - only if you accept to do this. If not, good luck."* - Wrong guild? My mind raced. If the villa wasn't Zanifar, then who... - *"Your little fish always accepts,"* I sent back quickly. *"Ciao for now."* - As soon as the connection severed, the pieces started falling into place. This was a coup. Someone within the Zanifar was trying to use me to eliminate competition or internal enemies. The guild politics were deeper and more dangerous than I'd thought. - Martyn noticed my expression. "You alright there, Kozu?" - I nodded slowly, still processing. "Yeah, just... fish business. I'll explain at the Manor." ## Regrouping at [[TheManor]] - By the time we arrived back at headquarters, [[Iz]], [[Dolous]], and [[Fredoku]] had already made it home. They must have taken the back routes. - "Well met, guys," I called out as we entered, then added with a rueful grin, "Well, not for me particularly." - I explained what had happened at the front gate - the assassin disguised as a gardener, the fifteen hit points of daggers in my back, the narrow escape, and the City Watch arrival. Then, more quietly, I shared the telepathic message about the Zanifar. - "It's all about the fish," I explained, using our code. The others understood immediately - when it came to guild politics, walls had ears. - [[Fredoku]] and I settled into chairs in front of the fireplace while [[Martyn Littlewood]] collapsed onto a bedroll in the living room. The poor man was exhausted, and within minutes he was snoring softly. - Upstairs, I could sense [[Iz]] and [[Dolous]] were busy with something. They'd been up there since arriving home, and I had a good idea what they were working on. ## The Stone Reveals Its Secrets - I was just beginning to doze off in front of the crackling fire, the warmth finally easing the ache in my muscles, when I heard footsteps on the stairs. [[Iz]] and [[Dolous]] descended, and the looks on their faces said they'd discovered something significant. - [[Dolous]] held the Stone of Golorr carefully, like it might bite him. "We attuned to it," he said without preamble. "It's a map, but it gave us a riddle instead of directions." - I sat up straighter, suddenly very awake. "Go on." - He recited it carefully: - An invisible creature - A bronze dragon scale - Dwarven ale - "These are the keys to the door," [[Dolous]] explained. "Behind that door, I believe we'll find [[Dagult Neverember]]'s hidden dragon hoard." - The room fell silent as we all processed this. An invisible creature, a dragon scale, and ale. Strange combination, but then again, anyone who could accumulate a dragon's hoard would have unusual taste in locks. - [[Kozu]] broke the silence with the obvious question. "So what's our plan? Let's go after the treasure." - [[Iz]] nodded thoughtfully. "We'll need to gather these three keys first. Each one sounds like it could be an adventure in itself." - I yawned despite myself. The healing potion had done its work, but exhaustion was catching up with me. "Right then. Night night, guys." - As I settled back into my chair, I felt that familiar tingling sensation - the one that comes when you've pushed yourself to your limits and your body and mind respond by growing stronger. We'd all felt it throughout the evening, that subtle shift in our capabilities. - [[The Mighty Hands]] had reached level four. ## Reflection - As I drift off to sleep here by the fire, I can't help but marvel at how complicated my life has become. This morning I was a level three rogue with decent reflexes. Tonight I'm a level four operative with significantly better reflexes (thank you, +2 Dexterity), caught between a guild coup, a treasure hunt involving invisible creatures and dragon scales, and whatever chaos the [[Zhents]] were planning at that villa. - The Zanifar message troubles me most. "Wrong guild," they said. Which means whoever owned that villa, whoever employed that murderous "gardener," they're not Zanifar. They're competition. Or maybe allies who've fallen out of favor. Either way, I'm being asked to choose sides in a war I don't fully understand yet. - But that's the life of a spy, isn't it? Swimming in dark waters, pretending you can see the bottom, hoping the bigger fish don't notice you until you're ready to bite back. - Tomorrow we'll start hunting for an invisible creature, a bronze dragon scale, and some dwarven ale. Tonight, I sleep as a better version of myself - faster, deadlier, more precise. - The little fish is growing teeth. --- ## NPCs & Locations Encountered - [[Barnabus]] of the [[City Watch]] - stern but fair, denied my griffin ride request - 12 City Watch guards + 2 griffin riders - [[Gralhund Villa]] in the North Ward - The Xanathar guild (telepathic contact - identity unknown) - [[TheManor]] - our headquarters ## Loot & Discoveries - The Stone of Golorr successfully recovered and attuned - Riddle revealed: Invisible creature + Bronze dragon scale + Dwarven ale = keys to [[Dagult Neverember]]'s hoard - Intelligence about guild politics and internal conflicts within Waterdeep's underworld ## Character Growth - [[The Mighty Hands]] all reached **Level 4** - [[Kozu Marphanis]] took +2 DEX (16 → 18), improving to: - AC: 14 → 15 - Initiative: +3 → +4 - Attack/Damage: +5 → +6 - DEX saves/skills: All improved by +1 - HP: 21 → 27 ## Active Quests - **PRIMARY**: Hunt for the three keys to unlock [[Dagult Neverember]]'s dragon hoard - Find an invisible creature - Acquire a bronze dragon scale - Obtain dwarven ale - Source of the fireball at [[TheManor]] - leads to [[Temple of Gond]] - Zanifar guild initiation - awaiting further instructions on "destroying and stealing" - Identity of the true owners of [[Gralhund Villa]] ___ ## ⚡︎ Tags #dnd #sessionnote #storyline #investigation #waterdeep #kozu #zanifar #stone-of-golorr #level-up #city-watch #treasure-hunt