Lost Dragon of Waterdeep

The Lost Dragon of Waterdeep was a legend bandied around the city about a dragon trapped in a painting or some other piece of furniture. The particulars varied widely: some said it was a white dragon, some said it was a blue, and a few stories posited that it was some other rare and unusual breed. The vessel that contained the creature was even more speculative—examples included a painting, a brazier, a chair, and a chamber pot. Nearly all versions of the tale agreed that the dragon could see, hear, and speak out of one or more surfaces of its prison. The legend stated that if someone touched the item a word would appear somewhere on its surface. Speaking this word supposedly compelled the dragon to truthfully answer one question from the seeker.

The creature spoke the truth, but did not always give a complete or satisfying answer. It also asked petitioners to bring various items to its prison and touch them to the surface. Items rumored to have been requested included feathers, locks of hair, leaves, flowers, smooth pebbles, and glass eyes. Petitioners that asked for the location of riches were sometimes rewarded, but some reportedly perished in the pursuit. Success or failure was also attributed to whether the dragon liked the petitioner or not.

Part of the fascination of the legend was speculation about why the dragon desired items be physically touched to its prison. Myriad guesses included loneliness, desire to feel anything at all, escape, evil schemes galore, and the destruction of the city. Some speculated that the painting was unfinished and the prisoner inveigled seekers to finish the work so it could be released or any of the other imagined (usually catastrophic) events to occur.

History
The legend was given new life sometime around the when the young Lord Elevur Tarm was observed by multiple witnesses carrying on a conversation with a painting in one of the back rooms of the Eagleshield residence. The occasion was a revel hosted by Lord Narrovan Eagleshield in honor of his deceased wife Embrelle and was attended by many representatives of the nobility of Waterdeep.

The soot-darkened painting was the size of a family dinner table and it depicted with lifelike accuracy (according to Sastram Vaerintel, a local minstrel) four well-dressed humans, two men and two women, standing in an overgrown garden gazing up at a tall statue of a dragon sitting with its wings wrapped around itself. The mouth of the creature was open and the eyes stared directly at the viewer of the painting.

Although witnesses reported that the entity in the painting denied that it was a dragon, this did nothing to quell the rampant speculation that the work of art did indeed contain the Lost Dragon of Waterdeep. Lord Tarm quickly left the fete when he noticed that others had seen him talking to a painting (and laughed at him) and refused to discuss the matter with anyone. The painting said nothing to the group of onlookers who eventually lost interest, but reportedly spoke to other individuals when they came to view the artwork alone.

Word spread around town and within days Amgarath Beltront, Guild Speaker of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors, issued a statement that debunked the claim that the painting owned by the Eagleshields was the home of the Lost Dragon. He stated very plainly that there was such a painting, complete with imprisoned dragon, about which "many tales—true and otherwise—have been told", but it hung in a private chamber in Piergieron's Palace and was not available for public viewing.