Chapter 5: Construction Ahead - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Chapter 5: Construction Ahead. The freight travels as far north as possible, following the Trade Way past Waterdeep to where the great road was swallowed up by the ever-expanding Mere of Dead Men. A fortified roadhouse that once served merchants and teamsters now feeds laborers and safeguards road-building supplies, and it also aids the Cult of the Dragon in smuggling its treasure. Waterdeep When the caravan rolls into Waterdeep after two months on the road, most of the merchants disperse to the city's markets, warehouses, and stables. They've reached their destination and the characters are paid off in silver and thanked for their service. If they performed well, they're told they can find work with these shippers any time in the future. Characters can't waste much time closing accounts with their own employers or sightseeing in Waterdeep, however, or they lose the treasure wagons in the crowded metropolis. The cult wagons don't follow the same pattern as the others from the caravan. Instead, they head for the north side of the city before looking for a place to spend the night. Everyone who the characters know to be associated with the cult gathers at the same spot by nightfall. Azbara Jos remains with the cultists during this time, and Jamna expresses her desire to stick with them until they uncover the treasure's destination. The cultists spend a day resting their horses at a stable on the north side of Waterdeep. Other wagons are already there, covertly carrying treasure from all over the Sword Coast to the collection point. During the day, some of the cultists visit a large warehouse just inside the northern city gate, where construction supplies are stockpiled for shipment north and where wagons are gathered and loaded for the trip. If characters ask around Waterdeep's northern gate about anyone matching Rezmir's description, they hear rumors of a half-dragon being sighted in the area at least a tenday ago. Everyone remembers the incident; chromatic half-d...