How the PC's Can Get Involved

How the PC’s can get involved.

The following are adventure hooks that work well with this adventure:

Word reaches your ears of some troubling news. "Two halflings were attacked on the Trade Way yesterday morn," a grizzled old dwarf tells you at the bar in the Inn of the Dripping Dagger, "right by that inn they just reopened -- the Roosting Griffin." Sample"They were attacked by a griffin?" an old white haired man asks thefile dwarf. "No," the dwarf replies, "they were attacked AT the Roosting Griffin." "By the inn?" the man replies. The dwarf looks confused. "How could an inn attack some halflings?" "Maybe a wizard animated it," a gnome in golden robes nearby suggests. "Could have a been a mimic -- a really big one. They could turn into a halfling eating inn... or a griffin," the old man suggests. "No," the dwarf insists, slamming his mug down on the bar, "they weren't attacked by no griffin or mimic or animated inn! Word is they was a unicorn... a black unicorn... which proceeded to eat their flesh after slaying them." "A unicorn?" the old man replies. "A black unicorn?" the gnome adds. "Yes," the dwarf replies. "Was in it league with that the griffin and the mimic?" the bartender asks. The dwarf shakes his head back and forth, then takes a long drink of his ale. "Sure. The mimic and the griffin summoned a black unicorn and it ate those poor little halflings!" he says sarcastically. "My word," the bartender mutters, "monsters of all kind banding together to devour the halflings of the land... whatever is this world coming to?"

You're a halfling and were expecting to receive your cousins Hans Hoots and Rodo Shortfoot (or maybe you're just their business partner here in Waterdeep) this morning, who were arriving in Waterdeep with a cart full of fine Shortfoot pipeweed from their home town of Halflington, out in the Western Heartlands... to the east. You wait until noon but they never arrive at the city gates, then you hear terrible news: "Two halflings with a cart of pipeweed were attacked and killed by the Roosting Griffin Inn, southeast of the city," a merchant from Baldur's Gate says to a man nearby, "by unicorn of all things... with fur as black as the heart of Shar."

You're a wizard or some sort of alchemist in the city, and have heard rumors about a black unicorn attacking small folk around the Roosting Griffin Inn. Black Unicorns are rare creatures, and terribly evil, the result of a magical experiment in a far off land full of evil wizards to your knowledge. However, like white unicorns, their horn, hair, fur, hooves and many other body parts are worth a fortune as magical components.

You hate unicorns. You've always wanted to kill one for the sport of it, and just today you heard one is roaming around that old inn that used to be half burned down about a day to the southeast of here. It's head would be a good trophy on the wall of your room. Intro

When the adventure begins the player characters are given some basic information about Waterdeep as follows:

Waterdeep, also called the City of Splendors and the Crown of the North, is the largest city in the North, is a city-state so large that it controls a lot of territory as far south as Daggerford, and as far north as the village of Amphail and some small Samplefortresses that line the Trackless Sea to the west of that. file It's divided into numerous wards, walled, with a giant statue standing over the city and looking out to the sea. Most of the buildings are made of white stone. Mount Waterdeep towers over the city, atop of which is Castle Waterdeep, where the Open Lord of Waterdeep, currently Piergeiron the Paladinson, leads the infamous Masked Lords of Waterdeep -- who are each elected by one of the cities many Guilds, but who's identities are only known to the ranking Guild members Waterdeep is a haven for adventurers. Dozens of temples to Gods such as Gond; Amaunator; Mystra; Tyr; Selune; Oghma; Sune; Tempus and Tymora dot the city. The city has active shrines to Silvanus; Mielikki; Chauntea; Lliira; Sharess and Siamorphe, as well as many other holy site and rumors temples to dark powers under the city like Shar, Malar and Loviatar. It is also home to numerous adventuring associations like the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, Blackstaff Tower, the adventuring club known as the Dragon Society, the Torches of Waterdeep, not to mention rumors about the Shadow Thieves and the Xanathar Guild being an active threat in and under the city.

In addition, when the adventure begins the player characters are allowed an Arcana check to see what they know about Black Unicorns. The following difficulty classes correspond to the information given:

DC 15: Unicorns are graceful fey creatures that dwell in deep woodlands, often associating themselves with elves and their kin. They are most often have white fur, but some are said to be gray and even brown like common horses, even black. However, the term "black unicorn" has come to represent a breed of unicorn that are said to be pure evil, bred to hunt and kill the elves and benevolent unicorns of the world, the results of vile experiments on unicorns.

DC 18: Unicorn horn, hooves, hair and fur are all highly valued as magical components, along with their eyes, heart, and less mentionable organs... although such parts are often sold behind closed doors. In some places in the world unicorns are hunted because of this, which has led them to stay away from men.

In addition, when the adventure begins the player characters are allowed a History check to see what they know about the Ardeep Forest and the Roosting Griffin Inn and the rest of the area that the adventure takes place in. The following difficulty classes correspond to the information given:

DC 10: The Roosting Griffin Inn was said to have been sacked by orcs, trolls, ogres and their like many years ago. The place has recently reopened after a wealthy family from Waterdeep took claim of the inn and rebuilt it. A squat stone bridge lies about ten miles from Waterdeep on the way to the Roosting Griffin Inn called Zundbridge, which crosses over the River Dessarin before it empties into the Trackless Sea. Waterdeep keeps an armed guard post at Zundbridge.

DC 12: The Ardeep Forest lies near the Roosting Griffin Inn, a thick woodland of blueleaf, duskwood and weirwood trees. It's sometimes called the Realm of the Deepening Moon and the Faraway Forest. It's dotted with old lodges and ruined keeps, often those of moon elves. Some moon elves still live in the area, but the forest isn't known to be inhabited by a particular monsters. There are black bears in the woods, Samplefoxes, maybe even a few wolves, but nothing bigger. Less hostile animals file like skunk, wild boars, rabbit, deer, and even a few rothes are known to inhabit the woods.

DC 13: Beyond the Roosting Griffin Inn is Daggerford, a small town where the