Session 63: The Stone of Golorr Report

General Summary

Last session the party had just escaped the Lord Victoro Cassalanter and Lady Ammalia Cassalanter, having discovered they were planning a ritual to save their children's souls (that they look to have sacrificed themselves) that centered on poisoning 99 people and offering 500,000 gold to Asmodeus. Runt Thundermount discovered they already sacrificed and lost their eldest son, Osvaldo, who is being kept in their attic and has been turned into a Chain Devil. The party also escaped with the last Eye for the Stone of Golorr (or rather they escaped with a drawer that held/holds the Eye).   The party debates on how to proceed with this knowledge and how to protect this eye when you see a raven following you suspiciously. Cameron Overholt firebolts the bird and the party runs off to get metal boxes to hide the eyes in so they can't be detected magically.

 The party heads to the Sea Maiden's Faire to make contact with Jarlaxle Baenre. He sends a paper bird back to meet at the Portal because the guards are out in force around the faire after the fight with the Xanathar's Guild the other day.



The party heads to the Yawning Portal where you see Renaer Neverember's friend Laraelra "Elra" Harsard talking with a 30-something black woman, Vajra Safahr, who introduces herself as the Blackstaff, the archmage of Waterdeep. Cameron is in lust with her crazy magical staff that you all have heard can control the gigantic walking statues of Waterdeep if the city is under attack. After some back and forth the party determines she's on the up and up and genuinely wants to protect the city from what's going on. In Vajra's opinion Mirt and Laeral Silverhand, the Open Lord of Waterdeep are playing spy games within the The Grand Game and Vajra just wants to end this craziness.



The party brings her up to speed on the Grand Game as Renaer and Meloon Wardragon arrive. The party reveals they have Manshoon's spellbook. Vajra offers a Wand of Lightning Bolts and a Cape of the Mountebank in exchange for the spellbook. She also gives the party three badges of Force Grey, inviting you to be members (when you tap the badge you can call for aid on other Force Grey members). She mentions that she found paperwork in Kolat Towers that Manshoon was blackmailing people (including the owner of Gilded Compass) and that he has a contact in Undermountain. He seems intent on revenge against Halaster, who took his arm in their last fight. There's mention of the lost 6th layer of Undermountain. Andryn Stormpeak and Cameron recall that a dwarven king is supposed to be buried there. A king of the ancient tribe Clan Melairkyn. 



Vajra says she'll work on stopping the Cassalanters and contacting the authorities to put a stop to the party altogether. The party produces the drawer and discovers a secret compartment that has the Eye, a gold symbol of Asmodeus, and several scrolls of incriminating information against the Cassalanters. They were calling in debts and Lord Cassalanter has a financial ledger of how they can gain the money for the ritual without bankrupting the family.

While this has been happening Jarlaxle has arrived at The Portal and is waiting for the party in a separate room. He has heard about their kerfuffle in Cassalanter Villa. He's mildly impressed you have aligned with Force Grey, Zhentarim, and Emerald Enclave, all of which have very different endgames.

Jarlaxle hands over his stone and Andryn attunes to the completed Stone of Golorr. The Stone latches onto Andryn's memories of an aboleth attacking her village, seemingly enjoying the spectacle. Andryn asks the Stone three questions:

• Where is the vault? The Stone gives images of underground tunnels, corpses, a massive wall of sapphire that seems to pulse almost like it's breathing. She sees and hears a silver hammer striking stone. A beam of sunlight in a darkened room. There's a carving of dwarven characters, very old, but Andryn recognizes them as a proto-language of her own village dialect. As she reads them she realizes they say "Brandath Crypts".
• How do we get into the vault? Three keys ye seek. Strike scale of wyrm in light of day. As the vault bears witness, so shall it open to mithral’s strike
• What is in the 6th Level of Undermountain? The Stone does not seem to have the knowledge for this question but does give you this song: Breathe, dragons; sing then of Sardior, ruby-eyed jewel made in their likeness; Sardior, first-born of dragonkind, labored alongside Bahamut and Tiamat, Shaping the dragons they crafted. Sing of Sardior, sundered, consciousness scattered to the winds Andryn sees the five-headed Tiamat screaming into the sky of a world first born, a massive platinum dragon, Bahaumut spreads his wings wide enough to block out the sun as five ancient gold dragons fly around him looking as small as canaries. Circling them both is a long, sinuous red dragon as he twines in and out of these first of dragons you see the gleam of his scales and realize they are crystals, not scales.

In exchange for these questions, the Stone demands a piece of knowledge from Andryn which will be lost to her. She gives it inconsequential things from her childhood. The party recalls the Renaer's mother was a Brandath. The vault may be near her crypt.

The party goes looking for a mithral hammer. They find a dwarven smith that has a toy one for 150gp. They run to the City of the Dead and look for the Brandath Crypts. They find it, and Jarlaxle who has joined them after some searching. As they try to enter one of the mausoleum's they hear a voice yell out "Only Brandath blood is welcome here! Begone!" and a giant tree turns to strike.