Who's the shady guy?

At the sea

Torren "Torr" Hallowfield and Harlan Deepcoin met a strange hooded figure onboard of the Crescent Start.

The Golden Quill Incident

Days later, tragedy struck.

In Neverwinter’s Golden Quill Inn, Harlan and Helven were to meat several prospective investors to finalize their trade deal. The room buzzed with optimism and good wine — the sort of evening that could have changed their fortunes.

Among the staff was a new waiter, quiet and forgettable. Neither man recognized him as the same cloaked figure from the ship.

During the toast, the waiter poured a second round. Moments later, Helven collapsed, the goblet slipping from his hand. As Harlan rushed to his side, the waiter raised the alarm — accusing him of poisoning his own partner.

By the time guards arrived — far too quickly for mere coincidence — Helven was dead, the wine cup shattered, and witnesses swore they’d heard the accusation first. Harlan was arrested, the compass in his pocket pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.

He still doesn’t know who arranged it, only that shadowed forces wanted Helven gone and him silenced.

The same man would surface again later, this time beneath Hallow Gate, his face altered by yet another disguise. Harlan would recognize him there, moving freely through the jail as if it were his own domain. It was he who orchestrated Thalen Wren’s capture, acting on a quiet request from a member of the Neverwinter council. The reason was petty, personal, and dangerous: a betrayed husband and a bard who had crossed the wrong line. Such favors are never granted freely. The councilman would be made to pay—first in coin, and later in ways far less easily measured.

Remaining questions

• Who is the mysterious figure?
• Why was Helven murdered?
• Was Harlan involved?