Blackstaff Tower ( novel ) Blackstaff Tower by Steven E . Schend is the first novel in the Waterdeep series . Summary . The story takes place between 20 Marpenoth and 20 Nightal , 1479 DR . The story opens with Samark " the Blackstaff " Dhanzscul entering the tomb of Khelben Arunsun as his heir , Vajra Safahr , waits outside . Samark enters the tomb and retrieves the gold ring from Ahghairon ' s statue , as well as the silver and sapphire amulet from around its neck . When he exits the tomb , men in the service of Khondar " Ten - Rings " Naomal have taken Vajra hostage . Samark and Vajra , who can cast spells non - verbally , soon obtain the upper hand , but then suddenly Khondar ' s son Centiv Naomal arrives and kills Samark . In the next scene , young nobleman Renaer Neverember and his friend Torlyn Wands sit in a tavern discussing the progress of their book collections . Their friends Faxhal Xoram and Vharem Kuthcutter soon arrive and tell them that the Watch is after them . The four give the Watch the slip by using little - known routes through the city . When Renaer arrives home , he hears his father , Open - Lord Dagult Neverember , discussing with some unknown men a desire to obtain the Overlord ' s Helm to find out the other Lords ' secrets . The unknown men also talk about a woman from whom they cannot seem to pry information . The next day , Laraelra Harsard quickly looks through the sellsword market at the Heroes ' s Garden in order to aid her with a problem in the sewers . She hires Meloon Wardragon , a young man who seems more focused on his food than anything else . The two descend into the sewers and find the two dwarves Harug Shieldsunder and Dorn Strongcroft trapped due to a collapse of one of the walls of the tunnels . Dorn is badly wounded . Laraelra and Meloon rescue the dwarves , fighting off sewyrm lizards to escape . Along the way to the surface , they hear a woman screaming as if she were being tortured . Laraelra and Meloon located the surface location and determine that the building above belongs to the Neverember family . The two immediately go to Renaer Neverember to confront him about the woman . Renaer finds out that the property ( Roarke House ) was lent out without his knowledge , so he takes Laraelra and Meloon to Roarke House in order to show them that nothing is amiss . Instead , they are chased out of the building by Khondar and a man who appears to be the Blackstaff ( but in reality is Khondar ' s son Centiv in a magical disguise ) . Laraelra is magically commanded not to speak of the event . The group decides that other means of reaching the cellar are in order . They recruit Faxhal and Vharem into entering the sewers . They locate the correct cellar , but in the process are attacked by Granek Ruskelver and the " Blackstaff " ( Centiv ) . Laraelra manages to silence the Blackstaff , forcing him to leave due to being unable to cast his spells . In the ensuing battle , Faxhal is killed and Vharem is badly burned . However , the group manages to rescue Vajra and another woman named Charrar . When the group reaches the surface , Charrar turns on them and summons the Watch . The group is just barely able to flee to Varadras , a secret manor built by Renaer ' s ancestor Varad Brandath . Back in Waterdeep , Khondar is furious that Vajra and her rescuers escaped . Centiv sets up a decoy : he arranges for the arrest warrants for Renaer and his group to be publicized , and he place on the street a murdered body that appears to belong to Vajra , with a weapon belonging to Renaer still present . Centiv analyzes information that Vajra had provided while being tortured and is able to find a hint to accessing Blackstaff Tower . Centiv , disguised as the Blackstaff , and the wizard Eiruk Weskur go to the tomb of Sarael Arunsun and find a clue in the form of a leather pouch and a scroll tube . While resting at Varadras , Renaer ' s group discover that the young halfling Osco Salibuck has been hiding out in the mansion after stealing gems from a lord . Meanwhile , in the Warrens under Waterdeep , the elderly gnome Ompahr Daergech is approached by a halfling with ten rings on his fingers who called himself " Harthen " ( but who is actually Khondar in disguise ) . Khondar bears a scroll obtained from the tomb of Sarael Arunsun but does not have the mark on his hands indicating that he is a good and honest man . Instead of giving Khondar the actual key to Blackstaff Tower , Ompahr gives him a false key . As Khondar leaves , Ompahr cackles with delight at the scene he imagines will happen with Khondar attempts to enter Blackstaff Tower . With keys in hand , Khondar and Centiv enter Blackstaff Tower . They are immediately stumped by the otherworldly entrance hall . Khondar abandons his son inside the tower , ordering him to find his own way in or out . Centiv , alone , is suddenly thronged by shadows of all the previous Blackstaffs , who desire to enact revenge on the person in league with the torturer of Vajra . Back at Varadras , Vajra continues to hallucinate , believing she is one Blackstaff or the other . The group plans to use the entry hall to " teleport " to another house in Waterdeep , but as they gather , Vajra utters a word that sends them to the haunted Pellamcopse Woods . She collapses when they arrive and thus is unable to help them as the Nameless Haunt cat - beast attacks them . Just as Nameless is about to kill Osco , however , it appears that he recognizes the halfling as Pikar Salibuck , a relative . Nameless realizes that the group are friends of the Blackstaff . He takes them back to his treetrop lair , where each of the group attempts to wield the " Azuredge " axe . Only Meloon is successful ; his Wardragon ancestor ' s spirit . Lauroun , is embedded in the axe . Nameless deposits them in the Mountainside district of Waterdeep , where they separated and immediately beset upon by dogs and Watchmen . While escaping the Watch , Renaer and Meloon take refuge at the house of Parlek Lateriff , who reveals that stealing the " Jhaarnnan Hands " from Khondar would remove much of his power by making him unable to switch out magical rings . Parlek then lets them pass through his house to reach the Talltumble Stairs , which descend down the mountainside to the Castle Ward . At the Talltumble Stairs , the group is attacked by a group from the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors ( the guild of whom Khondar is guildmaster ) . However , one of those mages is Eiruk Weskur , who sees that Vajra , his love , is in fact not dead . He helps the group and joins them on their way to Blackstaff Tower , but not before a group of mercenaries kills Vharem as they pass into a secret tunnel to the tower . Eiruk stays behind to explain everything to the authorities . Khondar , still in search of one last key to enter the depths of Blackstaff Tower , goes to the palace and interrupts a meeting between Open Lord Dagult Neverember and a merchant consortium from Sembia . He kills one of the members — Markall Silverspur — who is in fact a shade imposter . He teleports Dagult to Neverember Manor , where he convinces Dagult to give him Ahghairon ' s Key , which can open any lock and find any secret door . The group finally reaches Blackstaff Tower , where the tower has decided to test them before they move forward . Each member of the group meets the spirit of a former Blackstaff , who tests them : Oscar meets his ancestor Pikar Salibuck ; Meloon fights Tsarra Chaadren ; Renaer gets into a contest of lore with Krehlan Arunsun ; Larelra must show off her diplomatic skills for Ashemmon . Vajra must face her own test : ascertaining her real identity and becoming confident that she is the new Blackstaff . Through her , the Blackstaffs send a message through the air to Khondar in his sleep , compelling him to enter the tower immediately . Vajra summits Blackstaff Tower and proclaims to the city that she is the new Blackstaff and intends to serve the city . She asks Larelra to become her apprentice . As her apprentice , Larelra can carry a Blackstaff , through which Vajra ' s power can be channeled even if she is not present . Renaer exits the tower to talk to the authorities . He is given a counsel with several Lords of Waterdeep and explains the truth of the last couple of days . The Lords don ' t accept his claims , so Renaer seeks and receives a private counsel with the Open Lord — his father , who is not fond of him at all . Renaer threatens to publicize his father ' s involvement with Khondar . In return for his silence , Renaer wants all charges against him and his friends dropped , as well as more independence over the affairs of Neverember Manor . Dagult accepts and publicly announces the innocence of Renaer , Larelra , Meloon , and Osco , as well as their two dead friends , Faxhal and Vharem . Dagult and Renaer suddenly realize that if Khondar intrudes into the tower , a Walking Statue of Waterdeep might appear to protect the city — also bringing part of the Spellplague back with it . Larelra , Meloon , and Osco are teleported to Roarke House to try to head off Khondar ' s attack . Khondar escapes to Blackstaff Tower with " Azuredge " ( another of the tower ' s keys ) in tow , but the trio are eventually able to find the Jhaarnan Hands to diminish his power . He gets through several layers of wards , triggering the Walking Statue . However , the Walking Statue does not attack , indicating that Khondar is not a threat yet . Meloon , Larelra , and Osco return to the tower to help Vajra . Eltalon Vaundrar , Maerla Windmantle , and Eiruk , all of the Watchful Order , also arrive at the tower to try to help fight Khondar . In the end Khondar is defeated by wolves of the Black Hunt , summoned to protect the tower . The tower and the Blackstaff are now safe . The scene of Khondar being chased and eaten by the wolves is continually replayed around the exterior of the the tower to warn off intruders . Several days later , Torlyn Wands and other allies of Renaer ( Vajra , Larelra , Meloon , Osco , Eiruk , Parlek , Harug ) are called by Renaer to Roarke House . He gives them all golden rings with a small garnet inset inside the band . He wants to create a new group similar to the Moonstars that are heroes of Waterdeep and friends of the Blackstaff . The group disagree on what to call their group , but that the group will exist is a given and they talk well into the night .