# ✧ Episode 17 - The Pink Flumph's Secret **Date:** Tuesday, 17th February, 2026 **Location:** [[Waterdeep]] **Notes**: as written by [[Kozu Marphanis]] ## Session Summary - A morning of split errands and surprisingly productive chaos. While [[Fredoku]] sweet-talked a keg of dwarven ale out of [[Durnan the Wanderer]] at the [[Yawning Portal]], [[Iz]] and [[Dolous]] charmed their way to a bronze dragon scale at the docks, and I dragged [[Martyn Littlewood]] around the market square to kit him out like a proper warrior. Oh, and I may have spent five minutes pretending to be invisible in a magic box while he handled an awkward conversation with our merchant friend [[Zobolop]]. Perfectly normal morning. - By ten in the morning, all three keys were in hand — a bronze dragon scale, a keg of dwarven ale, and an invisible Iz. [[Dolous]] revealed he knew the location of [[Dagult Neverember]]'s vault entrance, hidden beneath a place called the [[Pink Flumph Theater]]. The name alone should have been a warning. - We found the vault — a vast underground chamber with enormous rune-covered double doors that swung open the moment [[Iz]] placed the keys on the pedestals. But beyond the vault door, we discovered something unexpected: a tapestry depicting dwarfs versus goblins, radiating some kind of enchantment powerful enough to charm [[Fredoku]] and [[Martyn Littlewood]] — and now they're doing their level best to stop us from touching it. Just another day in Waterdeep. ## The Adventure Continues from [[Episode 16]] - We woke at eight in the morning, well-rested after the chaos of the [[Gralhund Villa]] assault and our level-up the night before. My new reflexes were immediately noticeable — sharper, crisper, like someone had cleaned the lens I was looking at the world through. I could get used to this. - The whole party gathered in the main room of [[TheManor]] for what turned out to be a surprisingly productive planning session. The objective was clear: gather the three keys the Stone of Golorr had demanded. An invisible creature. A bronze dragon scale. Dwarven ale. We split the tasks accordingly. - [[Martyn Littlewood]], ever the man of priorities, announced he wanted to go shopping first. Hard to argue with that logic — he'd been borrowing gear since we met him. I volunteered to accompany him to the market square. [[Fredoku]] would head to the [[Yawning Portal]] to chase down the dwarven ale. And [[Iz]] and [[Dolous]] would handle the dragon scale down at the docks. - Simple enough plan. Then someone knocked on the door. ## Zobolop's Inconvenient Timing - I recognised the voice immediately — [[Zobolop]], the merchant I'd commissioned a few days back to craft five special moonstone necklaces. My idea: a little gift for each member of [[The Mighty Hands]]. Something to mark the occasion of us actually surviving this long. - The problem was timing. And the fact that he apparently needed more money before delivering them. - My solution was, I'll admit, slightly theatrical. I cast minor illusion and sealed myself inside an illusionary box in the corner of the room. Perfectly concealed. Totally professional. - [[Martyn Littlewood]] answered the door with the calm demeanor of a man who has long since stopped being surprised by his companions. He handled the negotiation admirably while I crouched inside my imaginary box, silent as a particularly dedicated spy, right up until the spell expired and I was just... visibly sitting in the corner. - I stood up, brushed myself down, and pretended nothing had happened. Martyn said nothing. This is why I like him. - The necklaces would need a bit more coin and a bit more time. We agreed, and [[Zobolop]] departed. Kozu made a mental note to pick them up in the coming days. ## The Market Square - [[Martyn Littlewood]] and I headed out into the spring morning, the streets of Waterdeep already buzzing with traders and merchants. I mentioned to Martyn that I had a contact in the market square — [[Sarah]], who runs a stall and has her finger on the pulse of where to find quality goods, often with a discount for the right people. - Sarah was exactly where I expected, manning her stall with the efficiency of someone who'd been doing this for twenty years. She pointed us straight to the *Sword and Board* shop tucked in the corner of the square — a solid-looking place, run by a broad-shouldered human with a beard that meant business. - Martyn went to work immediately, equipping himself properly for the first time since I'd known him. Armour, a great axe, a shield. He looked like a different person — more imposing, less improvised. I approved. - While he was busy selecting his weapons, I browsed the bolt selection and picked up something worth noting: five Master Crafted Bolts for a cleaner shot, and two Deadly Bolts for when clean wasn't quite the point. Good additions to the quiver. - I also remembered — somewhat belatedly — that I'd left my purple cloak with [[Sarah]] for repairs. The one with the rather undignified number of holes in it from recent adventures. She confirmed it would be ready tomorrow. The cloak survives another episode. ## The Yawning Portal - [[Fredoku]], meanwhile, had made his way to the [[Yawning Portal]] in search of dwarven ale. If you want something specifically dwarven in Waterdeep, there's no better place to start than [[Durnan the Wanderer]]'s establishment — the man has contacts in places most people have never heard of. - As it turned out, [[Durnan]] came through. A full keg of proper dwarven ale, sourced and delivered. [[Fredoku]], being [[Fredoku]], also pulled himself a pint while he was there. Research purposes, presumably. I can respect that. ## The Docks - [[Iz]] and [[Dolous]] had drawn the most ambitious task — securing a bronze dragon scale. Not exactly the sort of thing you pick up at the market. - [[Dolous]] waited aboard a ship in the harbour while [[Iz]] descended into the waters to negotiate directly with the bronze dragon that reportedly made its home beneath the docks. I don't know the specifics of how that conversation went, but I've learned not to underestimate [[Iz]]. - They returned with the scale. - On their way back, ever efficient, they stopped at the Waterdeep city bank to deal with the seven gold bars we'd been carrying around since the villa. Two-hundred-and-fifty gold each — a tidy sum. They opened an account and had the bars appraised. Sensible. Much better than keeping them under a floorboard at [[TheManor]]. ## All Roads Lead Home - By ten in the morning, everyone was back at headquarters. [[Martyn Littlewood]] headed straight to his room to attune to the great axe — new weapons don't attune themselves — while the rest of us gathered in the living room. - When Martyn reappeared, he gave us the full demonstration. Paraded around the room holding the axe, very pleased with himself. "Like my axe?" he asked, to nobody in particular and everybody simultaneously. - It was a good axe. We told him so. - [[Iz]] reached into a pack and produced one of the bronze dragon scales — smooth, catching the light in that uncanny way magical things tend to. [[Fredoku]] set the keg of dwarven ale down on the table with a satisfying thud. - And then [[Iz]] smiled. "I can turn invisible," she announced. "Thanks to our growth last night." - I looked at the scale. The keg. The now-invisible [[Iz]]. Then back at the keg. - Three keys. All present and accounted for. ## Beneath the Pink Flumph Theater - [[Dolous]] had been quiet through most of this, turning something over in his mind. He looked up and said simply: "I know where the entrance is. The vault. It's beneath the [[Pink Flumph Theater]]." - I had questions about the name. I kept them to myself. - We gathered ourselves and headed out into the city. En route, I pulled a map from my pocket to get my bearings — and then stopped walking entirely. There, printed clearly on the parchment, was the symbol of a fish. - The [[Xanathar]] map. The wrong map. I'd grabbed the wrong one. - The voice appeared, as it always does, at precisely the wrong moment — quiet in the back of my head, drawing my attention to the fish symbol like a nudge from someone who really wanted me to notice. I pocketed it quickly and said nothing to the others. There would be a time for that particular conversation. This wasn't it. - The [[Pink Flumph Theater]] was exactly as unusual as the name suggested. We moved through it carefully until [[Dolous]] pointed out what appeared to be a concealed stone door — arcane-locked, from the look of it, and set as a trapdoor in the floor. - The party prepared to lift it. I was already moving. - "Get in here, quick," I called back from below, dropping into the darkness before the others had fully committed to the idea. There's something to be said for acting first and briefing people afterward. - The corridor below was pitch black. [[Dolous]] cast *Dancing Lights* and the shadows retreated just enough to reveal what lay ahead: a vast underground chamber, and at its far end, a set of massive double doors crafted entirely from metal. No handles. No hinges. Just smooth dark metal and three lines of arcane runes glowing faintly in the torchlight. - Three pedestals stood before the doors. - [[Dolous]] stepped forward. "I recognise this," he said quietly. "From the vision. This is the place." - We looked at the pedestals. We looked at our three keys. ## The Door Opens - [[Iz]] moved first. She cast *Invisibility* — shimmering out of view entirely — then carefully placed the bronze dragon scale on the first pedestal. She walked, unseen, to the third pedestal, and set the keg of dwarven ale down with deliberate care. - Three pedestals. A dragon scale. A keg of ale. And an invisible Iz standing among them, completing the riddle's demand: *an invisible creature*. - The runes flared. - The great doors swung open without a sound. - Beyond lay another chamber, darker still. [[Dolous]] sent his dancing orbs ahead into the black. The light revealed bridges spanning above us, stone pillars holding up sections of crumbling architecture, and the remnants of what had once been a substantial crossing — now collapsed and rotting. - We pressed forward carefully down the corridor. In an alcove to our left, we found them: two enormous iron doors, ten feet wide and ten feet tall, embossed with scenes of dwarven warriors locked in battle. Centuries of craftsmanship. Whoever built this vault had wanted the entrance to mean something. - We tried pushing each door in turn. One of them moved. ## The Tapestry - The room beyond was a chamber hung with tapestries, and one in particular dominated the far wall: a vast, detailed scene of dwarfs locked in fierce combat against goblins. Exquisitely made. Almost alive in the torchlight. - Almost too alive. - I felt it immediately — a pull, subtle but unmistakable, drawing the eye back to the tapestry. Not curiosity. Something older and less comfortable. An enchantment. - [[Fredoku]] and [[Martyn Littlewood]] felt it differently. Much more directly. - [[Fredoku]] moved first, planting himself between [[Dolous]] and the tapestry. His expression had changed — no longer our calm, measured monk, but something more urgent and protective. The tapestry had him. And if the tapestry had him, it had decided that anyone approaching was a threat. - He swung at [[Dolous]]. - [[Martyn Littlewood]] was close behind, equally enchanted, equally intent on protecting whatever claim the tapestry had made on his mind. - I reached for my arcane training and conjured a *Mage Hand*, steering it toward the pair of them with the intention of a firm, corrective slap. A small indignity, but sometimes dignity is the price of coming back to your senses. - The Mage Hand had no effect. The enchantment was too deep. - [[Dolous]], to his credit, reacted quickly. He aimed a *Fire Bolt* at [[Fredoku]] — not enough to seriously harm, but enough to break the spell's grip, if we were lucky. - He missed. - And that is where we find ourselves. Two party members charmed by an ancient tapestry, [[Dolous]] narrowly avoiding being turned into a monk-shaped bruise, and me standing here wondering what, exactly, the dwarves who built this vault had against people calmly looking at their artwork. - The vault's treasure, if it exists, remains somewhere beyond. First, we have to get through our own companions. ## Reflection - Lying in wait in a dark chamber while [[Fredoku]] and [[Martyn Littlewood]] circle around with enchanted intentions is not where I expected to end the evening. This morning I was picking out crossbow bolts and wondering what to get the party as a gift. Now I'm calculating how to subdue two of my own friends without anyone losing teeth. - But here's the thing — we opened the door. Against every expectation, we found three obscure keys, brought them together by mid-morning, located a hidden vault beneath a theater with an unusual name, navigated our way through a pitch-black corridor, and opened a door that was locked with *dragon magic*. That's not nothing. - The tapestry is a setback. Every vault worth opening has one. - What worries me more, if I'm honest, is the map I nearly showed the party. The fish symbol. The [[Xanathar]] business is sitting in my pocket like a stone, patient and quietly insistent. At some point, those two worlds — the hoard and the guild — are going to intersect. I'd rather it was on my terms. - But that's tomorrow's problem. Right now, I need to figure out how to un-charm a monk and a warrior without getting anyone killed. - Being a rogue in a party of heroes is mostly excellent until your friends stop being your friends for ten minutes. --- ## NPCs & Locations Encountered - [[Zobolop]] — merchant, commissioned moonstone necklaces, needs more time and coin - [[Sarah]] — market square contact, runs a stall, pointed us to the Sword and Board shop - [[Durnan the Wanderer]] — [[Yawning Portal]] proprietor, supplied the keg of dwarven ale - [[Pink Flumph Theater]] — concealed vault entrance beneath the stage - Waterdeep City Bank — gold bars appraised and account opened ## Loot & Discoveries - 5x Master Crafted Bolts (+1 to Hit) — Kozu - 2x Deadly Bolts (+1 to Damage) — Kozu - Martyn equipped: Armour, Great Axe, Shield (fully attuned) - Bronze dragon scale and dwarven ale delivered to vault pedestals - Vault of [[Dagult Neverember]] located and entered via [[Pink Flumph Theater]] - 7x Gold Bars (250gp each = 1,750gp total) — appraised and banked - Tapestry (dwarfs vs goblins) — powerful enchantment, charm effect on those who approach ## Active Quests - **PRIMARY**: Hunt for the three keys to unlock [[Dagult Neverember]]'s dragon hoard - ✅ Invisible creature — Iz (cast invisibility) - ✅ Bronze dragon scale — acquired from harbour dragon - ✅ Dwarven ale — keg from Durnan at the Yawning Portal - 🔓 Vault door opened — now inside - **ACTIVE**: Navigate vault beyond the tapestry chamber — Fredoku & Martyn charmed - Source of the fireball at [[TheManor]] — leads to [[Temple of Gond]] - [[Xanathar]] guild initiation — awaiting further instructions on "destroying and stealing" - [[Xanathar]] map — fish symbol spotted, implications unknown - Moonstone necklaces for the party — ordered from [[Zobolop]], pending delivery ___ ## ⚡︎ Tags #dnd #sessionnote #storyline #investigation #waterdeep #kozu #stone-of-golorr #neverember #vault #pink-flumph #tapestry #charm