Before we inspected our new manor, we agreed to meet for lunch at the Gentle Mermaid. It was a nice place, and I could see myself visiting again. Before we finished our drinks, a bird made of paper flew in and hit Jumanji. On impact, it unfolded into a note and some opera tickets. When we read the note, we discovered that the well-known moneylender by the name of Mirt had sent the magic paper-bird. The note also mentioned Ranaer, so we decided to follow up on the invitation. We would need formal attire to gain entry to the opera and the barkeep suggested Meiroths Fine Silks as a good place to procure what we needed. Upon arrival, a gnome by the name Randolph helped us to rent outfits suitable for an evening with Waterdeep’s elite.
That bit of business finished, we finally made our way to Trollskull Manor. It is quite impressive, but in need of repair. We proceeded to scout the entire location. We found that the bottom floor is a tavern with attached kitchen and pantry. There is also a cellar accessible by a trap door located behind the bar. The stairs to the upper floors are in the back of the building and lead to the living areas. We found what one would expect from a vacant building such as this. There are old pieces of furniture, and old bottles of liquor. Upon closer inspection, we did find some things of value. I found a few bottles of wine that seem like they might be worth something. Boaz found a harpsichord, and Shava noticed that the frames around the paintings are quite nice. The only thing out of the ordinary is that the trap door to the cellar slammed shut with two of our party on the other side. It is quite difficult to open once shut, so we should keep that in mind in the future.
That night at the opera, we were treated to quite an experience. We mingled with Waterdeep’s rich and powerful. The show was quite entertaining despite being portrayed in Giant speak. At intermission, we made our way to Mirt’s private seats. He had heard of our recent deeds, and was impressed. He indicated that he was part of a large organization, but declined to name it for now. He asked if we would be interested in helping him with another job. The details were quite unusual to be sure. Apparently, there is an intelligent draft horse named Maxine that acts as an informant for Mirt’s organization. This horse had recently gone missing. He asked us to find it. He gave us a few details to start our work. Maxine normally works with a taxi driver named Anxer who owns a green two-person cab. They worked primarily in the South and Dock Wards. When necessary, we can make contact with Mirt at the Blood Fist.
It seems as if we’re going to take this work. We accomplished our last task, and our group worked together quite well, so I am confident. As an aside, nobody almost died tonight. That is a turn in the right direction!