Session 51: Would You Like to Take a Survey? Report

General Summary

At The Yawning Portal, the party reviews their options on what to do next: follow up on the people who attacked Lord Victoro Cassalanter and Lady Ammalia Cassalanter's home, look into the address Mirt gave you where people may be smuggling poisons into Waterdeep, talk to the City Watch regarding Urstul Floxin's jailbreak, or check in with Vincent Trench who is keeping an eye on Fenrus Stormcastle's home after you found a note stating someone was trying to kill him.   The party goes over their leads on the drow who stole the Xanathar's fish and, consequently the Stone of Golorr's eye during Session 48: Escape from the Xanathar's Lair Report. They know the drow were led by Jarlaxle Baenre and there's a connection to the Sea Maiden's Faire, but that's about it.

  The Doom Raiders invite the party into their private meeting room within the Portal to go over their attack on Kolat Towers, where the other Zhentarim and, more importantly, Manshoon hold another eye. There's a discussion on the exact nature of the Locate Object spell, but Andryn Stormpeak will need a long rest to stock it. Davil Starsong informs you he can get some extra muscle in the form of hired mercenaries (2 gp a day for veterans, 2 sp for thugs) as well as a few more Doom Raiders. He also says he can contact Skeemo Weirdbottle, a fellow Doom Raider, who can give them a deal on potions.   Heading toward the address they received from the Cassalanters, the party finds themselves outside a yellow stone tower. They don't see a front door so Runt Thundermount goes to investigate and finds one around back. The building looks old and in disrepair. They hear a noise from a floor above. Runt enters the building under the guise of a neighborhood surveyor. Cameron Overholt and Andryn watch from outside as someone runs down from upstairs and demands to know what Runt is doing in the building. Runt continues his charade of trying to get the man to fill out a survey. As the man tries to get Runt to leave, they all hear a muffled scream from upstairs. Runt tries to go investigate. As he does, he realizes this man is trying to cast a spell on him! He continues with the ruse only to take psychic damage from the man when he won't leave. The fight begins as Cameron and Andryn burst in and a number of people in robes rush down the stairs (along with a few flying snakes). Agorn, the man who had been trying to get rid of Runt runs upstairs.   Andryn recognizes the sigil of Bane the Strife Emperor on the leader's shield. Agorn pops his head in to give the leader a word of encouragement (and healing) before disappearing upstairs again. Cameron casts Pyrotehnics, accidentally blinding Andryn. However, in blind state, Andryn realizes she can't cast Locate Object on something she's never seen. By the time she's gained her sight back the rest of the party has defeated the cultists.   They all rush upstairs to find a familiar woman tied up, a dead man on the ground, and what looks like some kind of ritual rune drawn on the floor. They do not see Agorn. Once untied Kelia Wintersbane angrily tells them that these Zhentarim cultist kidnapped her boss to perform some kind of ritual to control the broadsheets. She happened to be there so they took her too. When her elderly boss had a heart attack and died they decided she would do for the ritual. Andryn reminds everyone that Kelia had written a fairly defamatory article about them a few weeks ago.   With more important matters at hand, like finding Agorn, Cameron casts Faerie Fire and, sure enough, sees Agorn sneaking towards the stairs. Cameron holds him at gunpoint and demands he talk. Agorn tells them that Amath Sercent, the woman with the shield was a fellow Zhentarim and under orders from Manshoon to infiltrate broadsheets in Waterdeep, thereby controlling the flow of information. Cameron asks Agorn if he knows Davil of the Doom Raiders. Agorn lies and says they're friends. They wonder about Davil's opinion of Agorn...   Cameron demands more information and wants to know why they attacked the Cassalanters. Agorn says he wasn't there. Cameron intimidates Agorn into revealing there's a teleportation circle in the basement of Yellowspire (the building they're currently in). Agorn tells them it goes to Kolat Towers, but you need a pass amulet to use it. He offers his own in an attempt to get out of this situation alive. The party also gets him to confirm Manshoon is in the possession of an eye belonging to the Stone of Golorr, but it's held in his extradimensional sanctum. You need a ring for that teleportation circle. Cameron pulls it off Agorn's finger. Runt marks down that Agorn has denied participation in the survey.   Agorn pleads for his life, saying he wasn't involved in the ritual sacrifice thing. Runt pats him down and finds a note that reads,

Sercent—You're out of your goddam mind. I don’t know what dark magic you're cooking up, but some good old fashioned torture could have gotten something out of this broadsheet bastard just as easy. You're lucky I've fallen out of our lord's good graces for the moment and he's not taking my advice to cut you loose before you bring us all down. Presenting Shan Chien. May you choke on him. – Floxin

    He tells them Floxin kidnapped Shan Chien and Kelia and brought them here. The party ponders taking Agorn to Davil or even putting him in the bag of holding. They muse that killing him might be the best option when Agorn blurts that he knows where the last eye is. If they let him go, he'll tell them. Cameron holds his gun up again and threatens to shoot him if he doesn't tell them. He tells them what they already know: that some drow stole an eye from the Xanathar. They are unimpressed. He then tells them that a noble family has the other eye. The party demands names.   Terrified, Agorn tells them. The people who have the last eye are...the Cassalanters.