The Grey and Black Wars

Yessiree bob, there's no city like Watersdeep* for anything you want, need, or desire! It's the hub of alllll the major trading routes, so you can find anything you like from the four corners of the earth. It's run by our just and kind Prince Jadar who treats all it's subjects like a loving but firm father. ~ Biggles, the tour guide.


Like any large city with a lot of trade there are many races and creeds in the bustling city of Watersdeep. The city itself is divded into quarters, tho oddly enough more than four..., and has one public government run by the prince and his court, and many private ones run by the guilds.

There's the merchant's guild, who sets the price of everything from the salt on your table to the illegal drugs hidden in the bath. The cooper's guild, well, politcally there aren't a power house, but when they went on strike thousands of tons of good rotted on the docks, what a stink that was! The Fallen Dove Guild, who strike their own vengence against those who abuse their members. And many more...

But this story is about two guilds who held the entire city in fear...The Black Brotherhood and the Grey Shadows. The Assassain's and Thief's guilds.

For years there had been an uneasy truce between the two. Sometimes members of the Brotherhood would stage their act as a theft when the patron had paid their dues, and sometimes the Shadows killed their victim and then demanded payment because there was also a contract....but this was kept to a minium as much as possiable.

Until the spring of the year of the Dog. That spring the Brotherhood strangled the Prince's mistress and stole all her jewels and left them in a house of a half-wit theif named Doss. Doss, a cut purse, was a childlike man who the other Shadows treated like a pet, with much love and affection. To see him publically drawn and quartered after days of torture was the match to the keg of a full blown war.....

The Grey Mistress sent The Reaver Prince a scroll signed in blood that only one guild would remain standing. So the war began...

A war fought from shadow to shadow, window ledge to rooftop, where no pint of ale could be trusted and a prick of a thumb on a loose tack could cause death.





*The map is for the city Waterdeep but I no longer have the resource books, so I can't use the names etc in it. So we'll make them up as we go along.

The singing assassin

Gali had walked for a long time, he sang deep and bellowed in joyous bass tones as he made his way through the small wood. The spear glowed and vibrated on his back, it always struck him how blood thirsty the spear was.
Many a time had he spoken in harsh tones to the demon that dwelt in the `spear of loathing`.

The demon inside the spear knew who was evil and who was not, however if it had it`s way everyone would die.

Currently the demon was asleep, and Gali enjoyed the time to sing. He was making his way to nowhere in particular but he had heard a tale of a place called Watersdeep. The weather was good and he basked in the noon sun, he had not a care in the world - but it was all to change. . .

Waterdeep in the spring, from a distance, is an amazing sight. The waters in the bay with it's many masts looks like another type of forest, and the streams of people flowing in and out of the gate are varied in color, sound, scent from the green dressed wood elves to the silk merchants riding in the sedan chairs carried by matching half-orcs in loincloths.

Closer however, Waterdeep smells.

A winters worth of wastes build up waits for the spring rains to wash them away, and the mud is thick with ...things. Everyone wears thigh high boots to advoid the splatter of it. In better houses guests leave their splattered boots in a speical hall and either bring shoes or use house slippers pervided by their hosts.

Timi Higgs, 13 years old and as thin as a gnawed on bone, has improvised boots with uncured rawhide lashed to his lower limbs. The smell of the mud soaked rawhide makes his work just a tad bit harder. He's a cut purse, and not a very good one. It's hard to be sneaky when you stink, your victims tend to turn with you yards away and say "What is that smell?"

So Timi has resorted to grab and run tatics.

Today, this fine Spring day, he sees a fat merchants wife with her daily to do list and a nice little basket that jingles every so softly. Oh yes, Timi can hear that! In a trice he runs past, pulls her arm out striaght with one hand and the handle of the basket with another. Before she double her chins to shout he's around the corner quick as a wink.........


And straight into a blade. Sofa Neel, 15, has been watching Timi for a few days now. She catchs the boy as he starts to fall, reaching around to cut a neat C shape in Timi's kidney. He'll bleed out into the mud within moments. And the change in the basket is a nice bonus. A black thread is stuffed in Timi's mouth and Sofa goes to buy herself a new hair ribbon.

Tirinath laid stock still watching carefully from his vantage point a good distance away from the target.

Target: Keiran Ankell, smuggling boss. he thought, remembering the information scroll for this job.
Justification: Wanted dead by rival smuggling gang
Purse: 25000

Tirinath smiled privately as his mark stood on top of a box of crates at the docks. No doubt delivering some stirring speech to his workers. Tirinath thought.

Wind directionerfect
wind speederfect
Line of sight: direct

Tirinath saw his black crossbow bolt plunge into the man's temple. Saw the confusion and shock of his men. Tirinath slid down the roof to a gable from which he could leap to the next house and then down to the alley. He then disassembled his long range crossbow and walked casually back towards the guild base.

"Welcome to Watersdeep Kieran Ankell"

Lia

IC: I had been leaning against the stone wall for some time now. I knew theft was going on around me, occasionally I could even see it. It helped to know who to watch, but I suppose spotting them was only possible because they either weren't one of the better thieves or because they knew I was also in the guild and did not care if I saw.

Now normally as a guard I would have to stop these crimes, but none of my men have spotted these thefts, and the truth is about half of the profits of the guild were items no one notices is gone until much to late. It made my job easy, the guild had taught me all I needed to know about theft, and that is how I to my place with in the city guards. They taught me to catch poachers.

'Come quickly!' I looked over to a sailor, and could see on of my guards also in transit. I moved quickly to him myself. 'Fallow me.' I ran after him until I spotted what had him spoked, seeing the dead body I slowed to a walk and made a quick glance around.

"Hmm." No one is in sight, and the subject was killed a long range. This was a brotherhood job. I looked at the victim, it was Ankell, a smuggler that enters port from time to time. He wasn't a guild member but he was a contributer, and that is why I hadn't shut him down.

"Hmm, another black bolt. It seems we have a serial killer." His coin purse is missing. I suppose his crew wasn't the most moral bunch, but if I were in there shoes I wouldn't of left him with it either. I suppose there is only one thing I can do.

I stood up and addressed the crew. "This will be fairly painless. Finish unloading your ship, we'll take the body and on the way home the first mate shall be in charge. We'll get you out safely as soon as possible." Huh that one member of the crew is guardian his side. He seems to have two coin purses. That would be the thief then. Oh well matters not, none of them will be leaving.

"Take the body and let us go." We walked out of ear shot. "We need to figure out why he was killed. Don't let that ship leave harbor with out being searched." And so an end comes to those smugglers.

Markus Abesticot

Markus shut the front door to his house and turned, feeling a little safer as he twisted the knob and heard the heavy deadbolt slide through its sheath and thud against the lock. his hand passed down further along the door, flicking and sliding the other locks and securities into place. As he did so he watched his hand, trembling. Barely an hour earlier he had been on the docks browsing the ships for their wares, seeing what was worth purchasing and what wasn't.

Markus had been through several stores of goods when he noticed Ankell. Ankell was a shady figure, his goods were shady, and the papers or stories about how he aquired them were more than shady they were blantant forgeries and lies. however papers were papers and he had never had the heat on him from guards so far. Besides, the one great thing about crooked deals, is their cheap deals.

Markus stood at the edge of the crowd and listened to the speach. Since he had come halfway through he really had no idea what the man was talking about, probably telling his men that a port of sales could also be a port of purchasing.... for free. Markus shruged and went with his assumption, he was just about getting the jist of the speach when Ankell's head jerked to the side and he dove off the box he was standing on. The surrounding area went quiet, not all the docks of course, but the rabble from the group was silenced, and through the crowd Markus could see the bolt protruting from the side of the mans head.

Markus looked over to where the bolt must have been fired from, but saw nothing suspicious. With his right hand half-cupping his coin purse (as it usually was when on the docks) he turned and left the district, there would be no more shopping today, his mood was ruined.

Snapping back to reality he once again noticed his trembling hand, yes trembling, but not with fear, with anger.

god damned murderers. god damned assains.

glancing up at the celing which supported the floorboards to his fathers old room he grimaced.

Jonathon ran quickly over the rooftops and wondered how he had got himself in this much trouble. It was true that he had robbed someone at one of his patrons requests but it was not worth all tis trouble. The guards had been there as soon as he had walked out of the man's home and chased him through what he thought was almost half of the city. He stopped and slowly began to get his breath but it was then that he heard a shout and an arrow struck next to his feet. He turned and looked behind him just to see several figures running his way, the moonlight glittering off the blades in their hands and Jonathon knew that they would not stop until he was dead.

He held the pouch in his hand and wondered what was in there, what this worthless figurine was worth. He knew that he would not stop to ask though and started running again, watching as the edge came closer but without stopping he flew into the air, looking down at the guards below him. He blew a kiss to them as he landed, feeling the arrows as they flew through the air towards them.

He landed with a roll, stopping and looked down to the ground again just to see the guards running after him. What did he have to do to get rid of them?

Jaca was a short portly man, and he'd been summoned by the Prince for a report on the increase of murder in the city. He'd already given a report to the captain of the guard, but, the Prince wanted him, the city's mortican, to give a formal statement.

By the time he reached the meeting chamber, his face was as nearly plum as his coat.

"Report." Said a figure in black and silver by the fireplace, without ever turning around.

"Sire, there are 27 dead which cause me some pause." He held out a paper, but no one took it from him, so he lowered his arm again. "17 of them had black thread in their mouths or were killed with black darts, arrows, or bolts. Ten of them were found in locked rooms, but couldn't have been suicide. There are other...suspious deaths, but, the ten I mentioned I am sure of. This is the list of names."

A slight nod and a page came and took the paper from his trembling fingers to the prince who read it.

"Lord Bexx?" The voice struck him like a rod.

"Ye-ee-es. He, he was found in a windowless and locked room. It...he...There were things in the room that made it seem that he may have been one of the Dark Brotherhood, sire." Jaca licked his lips. "He was stabbed through his chair from behind."

"Keep me informed." It was clearly a dismissal, and Jaca was glad.

(OCC: Anyone want to be chaseing Jon?)

The singing assassin

Gali walked through the smelly streets of a lesser end of town, still at peace as the spear had not woken. He felt good, he turned as he heard a clamor, a man landed in the street in front of him. Guards yelled for the man to stop, he turned and ran.

Gali looked thoughtfully as the guards ran after the man, he was not doing anything only looking for lodgings so he ran he pulled his cloak tight, and made sure the spear was snug and he ran.

Gali loved to run almost as much as to sing, he was nimble, and far more deft than anyone his size. He eased through his pace and saw a pole on a building, he leaped up catching the pole and heaved himself up to the roof, he sprung from roof to roof always keeping the chase in his view.

He was happy to see what materialized, he was enjoying the chase.

Jonathon looked back over his shoulder to see how far the guards were away from him but did a double take when he saw the large man chasing him with the spear!

"Who in the nine hells runs through the streets of a city with a spear. Apart from a guard that is."

He knew that this was no time to stop and ask though as everyone seemed pretty intent on doing one of two things to him, either catching him and locking him up for only the gods knew how long or killing him. In truth Jon didn't think either option was such a good choice for him so he did the only thing he could, run as fast as he could.

It was then obvious that he would run out of rooftops very soon as he could see the edge of the last one coming up all too soon. He let out a loud curse, ran as fast as he could towards it and jumped, hoping that he would survive. As he did he didn't want guards down there and more importantly that he would live. As soon as he heard the loud splat beneath him and the wetness creep through his clothes he thought that he hadn't but it was then that he heard the voice screaming at him and opened his eyes.

He saw the obvious owner of the cart standing there throwing loud curses at him and looked at him with a smile. Jon rolled out of the cart, looked up just to see the guards there and started to run down the street.

All this for an insignificant little thing. This has to be one of the worst days I have ever had, and I haven't even had breakfast yet.

OOC: Grrrr... ok... Let me try this again...

Angelus said:

Jonathon looked back over his shoulder to see how far the guards were away from him but did a double take when he saw the large man chasing him with the spear!

"Who in the nine hells runs through the streets of a city with a spear. Apart from a guard that is."........

.......All this for an insignificant little thing. This has to be one of the worst days I have ever had, and I haven't even had breakfast yet.

Click to expand...

Selene had gotten such an odd request but could she turn so much money down? Of course not! She dressed for the occassion, hiding her ears under a hooded cloak and she waited near the site which would be pure chaos in not more than ten minutes.

She heard the shouts. 'Right on schedule,' that little voice in the back of her mind said as if amused. She watched as the man ran across the rooftops and she was quick to follow them, she cut through alleys and watched as he leapt across buildings.

'He might as well have wings...' She thought to herself.

And then she watched as he plummeted down the side of a building and right onto a cart, it was then she noticed that he had jumped with his eyes closed. She sighed and started to run in the direction that he was going, her heart was racing as they went and the canine in her loved the chase. She caught up to him and herded him right into and alley saving him from a fun little arrow that was intended for his shoulder.

"Come on," she said pushing him. "We're not rid of them yet," she barked before pushing him again as she heard the shouts getting closer and closer. "You're almost safe..." she promised with a smile as they raced side by side... "Don't worry... I have a plan," she said grabbing his hand and pulling him down another alley.

Twists and turns found them in an open street, a well lit street. "They'll be lost for a minute," she said observing the fact that she had led them in a number of circles. "Come with me..." It was more of a request than a demand.

Jonathon moved with the cloaked woman, wondering just where she was taking him. It was true that he didn't mind going somewhere with a woman but this was something different. Then again she had saved his life and from going into the dungeons so who was he to fret about it. He stopped for a second, wiping the grapes from off his back and throwing them to the ground. He knew that he was probably leaving a trail with these blasted things but they were making him run funny.

He stopped and looked at the cloaked woman, "You would be surprised as to where these things go. It's hard to run with them down your leggings. Don't ask, I have no idea how they got there either."

Without waiting another second he moved after the woman, wondering just where they were going. Part of him wanted to ask as it was in his line of work but she had saved him from the guards and that man with the really long and very sharp spear. He knew that he could always double cross her later and get away though.

A large smile appeared on his face, "So.... I have two questions. One, where are we going and two, is there any food there as I am starving."

She smiled at the grape vine and gave it a light kick off into a gutter. She moved with a light jog, moving down a well-lit alley. She looked back to see him following. She jumped up on a nearby crate and up onto a wooden fence. She looked down at him before jumping over and landing quietly in a yard.

"We're going to a tavern to lie low for a while," she said as if he was silly. "And the food will be on me," she said as she continued to walk out of the yard and through another series of shops until finally finding the tavern she had been looking for. Once inside she took off her cloak and tossed it to the barkeep who stashed it behind the bar. She did the same with his and smiled as her ears were suddenly very apparent.

"Klaes, I need two hearty meals and some brandy," she called. She was met with a smile as she ushered the man into a table in the corner of the room. She sat down across from him and tried to straighten down her hair, it was a little frizzy.

"If you're still hungry we can see if there's anything else that you might want." She sighed. "They'll be looking for you for a few days... You can either stay here and hide out or you can try to get back to your client," she said looking him over.

She was not a stupid puppy.

Tirinath strode into the Grinning Skull tavern and took a seat in the corner. This place was as safe a haven for his guild brothers as any and his boss had told him to meet here to receive his payment and next mission. The buxom tavern wench Marian walked over to his table and took his order for brandy and roast pork. He put his feet on the table and pulled his hood off his head, no need to be disguised here. from a pouch on his belt he produced a pipe, and from another pouch a fill of tobacco for it. He picked up a lighting stick and held it into the candle on the table, before raising it to his pipe and lighting it. Marian came back with his food and brandy, and he flipped her a gold piece, which was enough to keep him in liquor for the rest of the night. He kicked back and relaxed, all he could now was wait.

He sat there and looked at the woman, phased slightly by the wolf ears that he saw coming from her hair but more so by the grapes that were getting squashed in his leggings. He tried to move in his seat so that he wouldn't squash any more but every time he did he seemed to squash more, making a disgusting wet feeling in his leggings every time he did.

Jonathon then saw the food that was now on the table and moved to eat it before she had a chance to say anything more. He swallowed the mouth full of food then turned to the woman, a ready smile on his face.

"You have a good idea with that. I don't think I would be able to make it to my client or guild hall with the guards looking every where for me so staying in this inn does have its advantages. I guess I can stay here with you if that is what you are proposing. Oh sorry, my name is Jonathon.... and yours is?"

whoops

"My name is Selene Campo," she said. Her sensitive ears could hear him squishing the grapes and wondered why he didn't just excuse himself. Oh well. She watched him eat and had to admit that with the way he was attacking it she was sure that he was hungry.

"And yes I am suggesting that you stay with me. They will be searching every inn in the city tonight and you by yourself is just a bad idea," she said. She wasn't trying to be mean, it was just the honest to God truth. "Once you're done I'll show you to our room..." She ate but it was clear from the way she played with her food that she wasn't really hungry and had some other things on her mind.

"So... why are they chasing you?" She asked. "Don't get me wrong I know what you did but why are you so special that they have to get you as soon as possible?" She queried as she kept an eye on the door.

"Just so you know... Our cover, if they search this inn tonight, is a freshly married couple," she said with a smirk and a wink. Oh nothing would happen but it would be fun to pretend.

Jonathon almost choked on his food and looked at Selene with wide eyes.

"Please do not get me wrong. I love the fact that I have somewhere to hide for the night but as a newly married couple? Hmmm, that does have a few advantages."

He sat back with a large smile on his face, a lot of images flowing through his mind then he looked at Selene and wiped the smile away. He hoped to all the gods that she couldn't read minds because if she could he was now in a whole lot of trouble.

"I have no idea. A patron of mine told me to get something for him. It was a worthless little box and the next thing I know I have nearly half the city guards and a big guy with a really big spear chasing me. I have no idea what is in it as it is locked up tight and I was told not to look but it better be worth something."

He looked back down at the plate and noticed forlornly that it was completely empty. He sat there and wondered how he had eaten it all so fast, he must have been hungry. He raised his head.

"I've finished already? I must have been hungrier than I thought," he looked over at hers, "Are you going to eat that because if you aren't then I hope we are done. I really need to get out of these leggings."

A huge grin appeared on his face.

"I've never had anyone complain before," she said laughing at him. She didn't need to read minds she could see it all in his face. She didn't think that it would be too bad of a deal but then that would mean actually having sex and as much fun as that could have been it would put her off guard and that would be bad.

"So you don't know what's in the box," she said while thinking about it. "Well, I've never been one to breach a contract so stay out of it," she said as she watched him stare at her plate. She took it up in her hand and motioned for him to follow her. She snagged a key off of the wall that had been assigned to her under the names of the newlywed couple.

"Come on, you can get washed up in the room," she said as she led the way up.

"What am I getting myself into?" She asked as she looked back at the older man, he was cute and goofy but she was sure he was trouble too.

As he followed after her Jonathon could not help but have a smile on his face. He didn't think that there would be any sex involved but he had to hope and beside, sharing a room with a beautiful woman such as she was was a bonus.

He wanted to get into the room for another reason though. He wanted to take off the clothes that he was wearing and wash all the grapes off himself. It was starting to get disgusting and squishy in his leggings and tunic.

"I know the last thing I want to do is look in that box. I am tempted but I want what that patron of mine told me he would pay me. As for what you are getting yourself into it is just a night with me and I am no harm at all. Well at least I don't think I am."

He looked at her with a grin.

They were at the room before Jonathon could say another thing. All he wanted was to get in.

"It's going to be more than a night," she said looking at him as she shut the door. "You think I should just leave you alone with the big man with the spear?" She asked. "The bathroom is over there and you can wash up in there..." She said as she went around the room trying to dress it up a bit.

She was dimming lights when she chanced a glance out the window and saw some of the guards talking... One ran into the inn... Crap she thought that they would have had more time.

"Jonathan," she called. "Your friends are outside," she said as she started to strip down. Her slender figure was visible when he came back out after washing up. "Come on... They'll be up here before too long..."

Jonathon stood there, trying to think of anything to say but every word that he had was gone as he stood there looking at her naked figure. All that he wanted was to stay there in that room for as long as he could but he knew that there were guards outside looking for him.

His mind started to race as he worked through what he was going to do, how he was going going to get out of this place in one piece but there was only one thing that came to him and he went to the bathroom. He stripped off all his clothes, washed himself quickly then went back to the room to stand in front of Selene. He wanted to grin at the situation that he was now in but the thought of the guards finding him made that all but impossible.

"What are we going to do now. I know it's not possible to get out of here in one piece so that leaves only one thing. Should we jump into the bed now?"

Markus Ambesticot

Markus smiled as he locked the doors to his house again. Twice in a half an hour. He had heard yelling and a sudden rhythmic thumping along the roof of his house and had left to see just what the hell was going on. As he had gone out to see the fleeting figure of a man in blue streaking down rooftops and the pursuing guards, he had heard a man call to him from across the street.

Turning he saw a man rushing over to him whom he had never seen before. The figure steped up to him and smiled. "I was hoping you were in, i'm interested in a small figure i've heard was in your possesion."

Markus had raised an eyebrow at this and let the man in. Staring down on his counter at the moderate sack of coins he laughed quietly to himself. Sometimes you didn't need to sneak about in the dark of night to rob someone blind. He remembered where he had gotten the trinket, it was a small statue of a pagan god, one that the members of watersdeep and most of the civilized world had long forgotten. a simple wooden carving with metal grafted into it. the man was probably some fanatic that was hoping to call forth an entity, perhaps the gods of thunder and rain to water his crops. either way, it was a worthless piece of wood he had picked up in a village to the south for almost nothing, and yet it had gone for so much.

Desperation and hope made a man crazed. He had felt a touch of it himself when he father passed. Cheating the man out of money did not make Markus feel that he was causing harm to him, obviously he felt he needed the token more than he had needed the money, and if it brought him hope, and rain or whatever it was he was seeking, then all the better for him. As far as Markus cared, he wanted the money, and the rain to fall wherever the skies let it fall.

With the chase, and the excitment of closing a immensly one sided deal, Markus felt restless, and locking the doors for the third time, but on the other side, he began walking down the road and wandered where his nomadic feet took him.