A letter from Bloodstone

If you want to be a successful adventurer, you must be truly exceptional.

Take me as an example: My maxed INT score implies, I'm a genius. I would not say that I'm more clever and more brilliant than can possibly be imagined, but close to it. I've also maximum DEX, which gives me superior hand-eye coordination, agility, reaction speed, reflexes, and balance. It all boils down to the fact that I don't need armor to protect me in combat, chances are, that my opponent will not score a single hit in combat. And finally CHA! OK, Gareth Dragonsbane has more charisma, but hey: Who gets the girls? I never had difficulty to find loyal henchmen and I usually get positive reactions from others.

So I'm a master thief and a skilled magician with many magic items, including an ebony fly figurine of wondrous power and a defender sword +4. But I would not have reached anything with a nine-to-five attitude.

One of my core competences is that I can deal with unexpected difficulties - and that is exactly what is most important now: To make that clear, I'm not talking about waking up thirsty, with a terrible headache and having missed breakfast and lunch. These are the things you come to expect, as normal consequences of drinking exotic alcoholic beverages in significant quantity. I was very well prepared for this: The Pampered Traveler is not only the right location, to consume the expensive and potent firewine of the Rashemaar, but also the place, where you recover from it's inevitable side effects.

The unexpected difficulties appeared in the form of an inconspicuous letter sealed with a Crossed Pick and Sword - the family crest of House Tranth. It was an official letter from the Baron of Bloodstone. Being a master spy, I did not have to open the letter, to know its content. Even an urchin from the docks of Waterdeep would have easily guessed that this letter from Gareth Dragonsbane could never ever contain the requested gp to secure the funding of the current mission for the next quarter.

My headache was still bad, but that did not matter. The most important thing was the current mission. I had to get my act together and find a solution ...

What did Riordan tell me yesterday? House Vandree changed its allies. Hmmm ... No. That won't work. But there was something else, Riordan insisted on. What was it? It was something about matron mother Anthiela being in Menzoberranzan. No. Who cares about the dealings of the 17th House in a drow city? If it were House Xorlarrin, the third house, that would be a different thing ...

Ah ... I remember: Riordan was wondering, if the high priestess Fini'they was scheming against Anthiela. But that would not help either. Those things are happening all the time within the noble houses of the drow. Lolth is a cruel, capricious goddess, thought by many to be insane. She delights in setting her worshipers at each other's throats, so that the strongest, most devious and cruel will survive to serve her.

The new allies had strange names. Something like "thayan convergence" ... Hmmm. Yes! That's it. This will work! House Vandree's new alliance is led by the red wizards of Thay! Brilliant! Great intelligence. House Vandree obviously works on an alliance between the drow of Menzoberranzan and the Red Wizards of Thay. I'll have to flash out some details in my report to Gareth, but this should definitely be sufficient, to justify further investigations.

Despite my headache, I started to write my report. After I finished the first paragraph, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!" I said. "But I don't have much time."

"I was right." Cousin Riordan was really exited. "This was more than a simple change of allies."

"Off course." I replied "The Menzoberranzan and Thay unite against the Kingdom of Damara and the free realms!"

"Indeed. I thought, you did not really listen yesterday" replied Riordan "but I can prove it: Moredryss Vrinn works for various Red Wizards as a hired killer. Before she appeared in Neverwinter, she has been employed by the anti-Tam faction to work against the necromancer’s allies. We can attribute the death of a young Red Wizard that has been mysteriously killed, to Vrinn’."

"Great Job, Cousin Riordan. Baron Gareth Dragonsbane needs to know this." it is important that people you work with get positive feedback from time to time, even if they are family. "I need you to write a detailed report with all the relevant facts. We don't have much time, so hurry up! In the meantime I'm organizing an audience with the Baron. It is of utmost importance that I can present our report as soon as possible. You can stay in my room and start immediately. I have to go and get something to eat. See you."

Who is Moredryss Vrinn?

"We really need to know, what matron mother Anthiela is up to." I said to Cousin Riordan, when he returned to our H.Q. in Waterdeep. "... and you must try this! It's jhuild, the potent firewine of
the Rashemaar. I don't know, where they got it from. Rashemen is the most isolated and mysterious nation of the Unapproachable East."

Off course, this was some sort of a rhetorical question and I knew the answer: The pampered Traveler in the noble district of Waterdeep, was the location to be, if you are looking for excellent lodging and exquisite food and beverage. So it was quite clear, that, if anyone in Waterdeep could get jhuild, it would be Brathan Zilmer, the owner of The pampered Traveler who was also Guildmaster of The Fellowshoip of Innkeepers. It's not the cheapest accommodation in the city and and certainly not low profile, but it's close to the Yawning Portal. Even better, the rich and famous of Waterdeep automatically assume that you must be a VIP, if you can afford your stay here. This puts you on top of the invitation lists for every nobleman's party. It was indeed a great idea, to set up our mission's H.Q. here.

But I'm not the only bright mind in the Bloodstone Army.  Gareth Dragonsbane, holy knight of the Order of the Golden Cup and Baron of Bloodstone not only pays the bills for this mission, but he also sent Riordan Parnell, my cousin, to make sure that all the money spent turns into valuable information about the schemes of our enemies.

"I'm not sure matron mother Anthiela even knows about the recent developments." Riordan responded, before he tasted the firewine. "I have double checked this fact: Matron mother Anthiela was not in Neverwinter, when the new alliance was formed and she is has not returned from her trip to Menzoberranzan until now. The day before it happened, Anthiela talked to Fini'they and pointed out that there were really important issues to be resolved and those issues required her full and personal attention."

"Nothing new!" at this point of our coversation, my cup of jhuild was only half full or, if you like, already half empty, whereas Riordan had not even touched his. "But did you know that Rashemaar firewine sells for 15 gp or more (depending on where it is sold) per pint in such distant places as Amn, Waterdeep, and Cormyr?"

"No. Why is this relevant?" good cousin Riordan was so focused on House Vandree that he completely forgot to maintain our cover and play the role of rich and famous daredevils from Damara, seeking thrill and pleasure in Waterdeep. "But do you know that Moredryss Vrinn, a rank and file member of House Vandree, could easily be mistaken for matron mother Anthiela?"

Moredryss Vrinn

"So what?" my cup was empty. Riordan had not touched his and I had to put our mission first, so, with a slight of my hand, I swapped cups and drank it.

"Guild records prove, that Moredryss somehow acted as matron mother, kicked the subsidiaries, disbanded the alliance and signed the order to join the new alliance!" Riordan insisted. "Yesterday, she left the guild and joined the Dragonkights on invitation of Relonor Hun'ett!"

Moredryss at the Great Hall of the Thayan Convergence.

"We'll discuss this tomorrow." I was suddenly so tired, I had go to bed immediately. I barely made it to my room and fell into a deep sleep for 12 hours. Later, I woke up with a throbbing head, thick tongue, and a miserable desire to crawl under a rock.

New Allies

On 06/24/2019 House Vandree disbanded the alliance with Haus Vandree, Banksie and Torilian Arcane Order and joined the alliance of Die Tayanische Konvergenz after an invitation issued by the Drachenritter von Chel'El'Sussoloth.

The guild name of the helm guild Die Tayanische Konvergenz translates to "The Thayan Convergence", which implies some connections to the infamous red wizards. With a guild level of 15, one can assume that it has some powerful members.

This was a move, I did not anticipate. Given the fact, that the alliance with House Xorlarrin did not meet the expectations of House Vandree, it was clear that House Vandree was looking for alternatives. This makes sense, because the allies of House Vandree were much smaller and did not show the dynamic growth of Anthiela's own guild. But the timing and the circumstances raise questions.

We know that House Vandree has close connections to the Corrupted Alliance and to the Rangers of the South. Members of House Vandree are often seen in parties with members of the aforementioned guilds. Reliable, well informed sources say, that House Vandree was founded by former officers of the Rangers of the South with the strategic goal to be a subsidiary.

The name of the sword guild that invited House Vandree implies some drow roots as it translates to "Dragonknights of  Chel'El'Sussoloth". With a guild level of 10, it is also more powerful than the Rangers of the South.

Cousin Riordan has joined House Vandree and found evidence in die guild archive that there was a convention of senior guild officers at the beginning of this year, in which options were discussed.

Riordan Parnell at the Guildhall of the Dragonknights.

Riordan had the impression that Fini'they Vandree, high priestess of Lloth, was preparing the guild for a new alliance with Zhenthil keep or the Fabeled Alliance. But this did not materialize. From the minutes of the meeting one gets the impression that the members of House Vandree would rather stay alone than being part of a very active high profile alliance. Maybe this is a lesson, matron mother Anthiela took from the Rangers of the South, being kicked from the Corrupted Alliance for no apparent reason.

The guildhall shows the strength of the Dragonknights.

Questions remain. First and foremost: The only person that could form the new alliance is the matron mother. To receive the invitation, House Vandree had to leave the alliance. A head guild of an alliance, such as House Vandree at that time, has to kick its subsidiaries to disband its alliance. After this, it can join the new alliance. But Riordan knows for certain, that matron mother Anthiela was not in Neverwinter, when the alliance of House Vandree was shifted! Was this a coup by Fini'they?