WoW C3.S6.12 The Cassalanter Bargain

1. Following the events of WoW C3.S5.11 Fight Night! (Part 2) the party escaped through the portal to the Unknown they had discovered in WoW C1.S3.03 Finding Floon, Filing Forms
   
   
2. Faced by four hostile goblins, Jarlaxle slew all of them with a flick of the wrist, sending spectral daggers to find a home in each of their throats. The party made a mental note never to get on Jarlaxle's bad side.
   
   
3. Jarlaxle suggested that he teleport everyone back to his ship rather than trudge through the sewers and face further danger. The party agreed and they found themselves aboard Jarlaxle's opulent flagship, The Eyecatcher. He summoned a sumptuous feast using magic and took a seat in a high-backed chair, a goblet of fine wine in hand. The lavish cabin glowed with candlelight, the air thick with the scent of salt, wine, and rare spices.
   
   
4. With a smirk, Jarlaxle toasted their success, revealing that he had deliberately kept them in the dark about the full scope of the heist to maintain the element of surprise. He praised their role in slaying Xanathar, the "bloated bag of gas", and cemented their growing reputation as chaos agents.
   
   
5. As a reward, he presented each of the party members with with a magic item pilfered from Xanathar’s sanctum:
   1. Vonna – Full Plate Armor
   2. Bartholomew Glockenspiel– Sentinel Shield with Spellbook Holder
   3. Metatronia – Cleansing Stone
   4. Pyper Runecut – Ring of Protection
   5. Bruce – Sundering Sphere
   6. Fearonuh – Bracers of Defense
   7. TMM05 – Ring of Feather Falling
      
      
6. He then offered to examine other artifacts the party had acquired. Metatronia had him look at the ring that had absorbed dark energy when Xanathar exploded. Jarlaxle revealed that it was a Ring of Mind Shielding, and could potentially contain the soul of the defeated beholder. He convinced the party that he should hold onto it for fear of Xanathar's allies coming looking for it in an attempt to reconstitute him. Jarlaxle also examined the axe relic Fearonuh had recovered, and confirmed that it was adorned with ancient orcish runes, but that the craftsmanship was too good to be orcish. He suggested bringing it to someone with more knowledge of ancient orc history. 
   
   
7. Turning to the Grand Game, Jarlaxle convinced the party that he should hold onto the recovered Eye, saying that having both pieces in one place would be too risky. He warning the party that their relationship with the Zhentarim was likely to deteriorate after the killing the Zhents in the arena. He recommend that they meet with Urstul before the news got back to him, or that they should make plans to strike the Zhents before they could strike first. He also provided a lead: his men had observed Urstul Floxin frequenting a rundown tower in Castle Ward known as Yellowspire.
   
   
8. The party discussed their options and decided that continuing to string along Urstul was not a good idea. They discussed the possibility of killing Urstul and installing someone else as the leader, perhaps even someone from the party. Jarlaxle confirmed that he had heard that not all the Zhents were happy with his leadership and that many had preferred Davil Starsong's approach. There were also rumors of foul play, that Urstul had had a hand in Davil's arrest. Jarlaxle suggested that the Zhents were unlikely to adopt one of the party members as their leader so quickly, but that breaking Davil out of prison could be an option. Without proper time to execute a prison break, the party decided to arrange a meeting with Urstul as soon as possible before he could hear reports of from the arena battle. They hoped that they would have the element of surprise and that this would be their best opportunity to kill him.
   
   
9. As the faintest glow of dawn began to appear over the horizon, Jarlaxle invited everyone to sleep in hammocks below deck.  However he said he was too energized to sleep himself, and he invited anyone who wished to join him in watching the sunrise.  He winked at Metatronia, an unspoken invitation to progress their romantic relationship. She considered it for a moment, but did not take the bait, aspiring to make Jarlaxle work a little harder for her affections.
   
   
10. Laying in a hammock, Bruce examined his Sundering Sphere and attempted to attach it to the hilt of his Shou Lung Dao. He gave it a firm bump on the wooden post next to him and was suddenly sucked inside of the sphere. He found himself on a small island floating in the sky. Nearby was a mysterious temple with asian architecture that seemed deserted. Bruce cautiously entered the temple and was attacked by a spirit. Bruce and the spirit fought, but Bruce quickly recognized the spirit as his former sensei Lin Tung, whose petrified body the party had discovered in The Overseer's lair. Bruce told the spirit his name and that he was the new master of the sphere, and the fight stopped. The two shared tea and Lin Tung told Bruce he was happy to see him after so many years. He told Bruce that he was forced to transfer his soul into the Sundering Sphere when he was turned to stone. He said he was now the guardian of the sphere and would hold anyone Bruce sent here as long as he could. He told Bruce that time passed much more slowly inside the sphere and offered to help continue to train Bruce if he wished. Bruce made plans to continue training with Lin Tung and Lin Tung showed him how to escape the sphere, by jumping off the floating island.
    
    

The Cassalanter Bargain

1. The next morning the party returned to the tavern and found they had received a fancy looking letter with a wax seal. Fearonuh recognized it to be the seal of the Cassalanter Family, one of the richest noble families in Waterdeep.
   
   
2. The letter read: "To the Members of Lost and Found, We would like to retain your services. The matter is quite dire and you come highly recommended. Please join us for tea and we can provide more details and discuss arrangements. - Victorio Cassalanter"  
   
   
3. Before leaving for their 2pm Cassalenter engagement, the party sent a message to Urstul arranging for a meeting with him at 7pm
   
   
4. The party walked to the Cassalanter villa in the Sea Ward, and marveled at the gleaming white stone mansion. The party showed the guards their letter and were escorted to the garden by the head butler Willifort Crowelle.  They passed two children—Terenzio and Elzerina—who chased each other through the neatly trimmed hedges. Under the shade of a covered porch, Lady Ammalia and Lord Victorio Cassalanter sat, waiting for them bearing solemn expressions. There was an air of desperation in their eyes.
   
   
5. The noble couple thanked the party for coming and requested that they sign a non-disclosure agreement before divulging the details of their proposed arrangement. As a token of good faith they offered to pay them 100 gold per party member just to sign. This party members were a bit uneasy about this, but reviewed the agreement and found nothing concerning. They also didn't catch any signs of ill will or dishonesty from the Cassalanters, and agreed to sign.
   
   
6. Victorio and Amalia revealed a dark family secret—Victorio's grandfather had fallen on hard times and made a deal with a devil to restore their family's wealth. He took this secret with him to the grave, and now, their children’s souls were at stake. Five years ago they had received a letter with a copy of the infernal contract, warning them of the approaching payment deadline. The contract stated that they owed 666,666 gold dragons before the twelfth birthday of the firstborn of the third generation of Cassalanters, or the souls of that entire generation would be taken. They said that they had tried everything, even investing with Dagult Neverember with the promise of massive returns, but everything had fallen apart when he was diposed. A year ago the payment deadline came due and their firstborn Oswaldo's soul was taken. However, to their surprise, their younger twins were not harmed. Then they received another letter giving them an extension to the deadline, stating that the devil had taken pitty on them and wished to give them one more chance to pay. They told the party they had only three months left until the extended deadline.
   
   
7. The party requested to see a copy of the contract and the Cassalanters produced it. The document was as they had described, complete with infernal ink that glowed with dark magic. The Cassalanters said they had only been communicated with via written letters. 
   
   
8. The Cassalanters told the party that Dagult's cache of gold remained hidden in a secret vault somewhere in Waterdeep, enough to cover their debt and more. Of course, this was not new information to the party. They offered the Party gold and power in exchange for their help in locating the Stone of Golorr and its three Eyes, which would lead to the vault. 
   
   
9. The party considered the offer, and requested that they draw up another contract. They requested mutual confidentiality, that the Cassalanter's help them to navigate the government and legal systems if needed, and to retain the balance of the vault's contents after subtracting what the Cassalanter's needed to cover their debt. The two sides agreed to these terms and the contract was signed. Thankfully Willifort Crowelle was a notary and added his stamp.
   
   
10. The Cassalanter's probed the party for any leads they might have on the Unknown. They suggested they might have a lead on the Overseer's eye, given they had just been in his lair last night. The party successfully bluffed that they didn't know anything about that eye's whereabouts. The Cassalanters shared with the party that the had learned the Zhentarim had one of the eyes, having stolen it from Dagult's stronghold in Neverwinter. This was new information for the party, something Urstul had not shared with them. The Cassalanters again offered anything they could to help the party, and said to contact them with any updates.
    
    
11. As the party departed, Amalia took a special interest in Pyper Runecut. She correctly sensed that Pyper was of noble descent by the way she carried herself, telling her as much. She touched her as they walked together and she sensed something more. Amalia said she felt  "A force, a gift… one you haven’t yet fully grasped. Power like this should not be left dormant. If you wish to understand it… to harness it… I could help you." Pyper said that she would love that she agreed to come by the villa again some afternoon.

A Tense Meeting with Urstul

1. Later that night the party met Urstul Floxin at the warehouse where Zhentarim, Waterdeep Chapter meetings were held. As usual, Urstul was flanked by his top lieutenants and several underlings including Kaevja Cynavern, Agorn Fuoco, and Ziraj the Hunter. The party immediately felt tension in the air.
   
   
2. Urstul congratulated them on killing The Overseer but quickly turned to interrogating the party since he had not ordered them to do this. He said he had also heard that they fought and killed fellow Zhents in the arena, and that Drow had attacked the lair during the battle. He surmised that the Drow were after the Overseer's eye.
   
   
3. As Urstul questioned them, his dark eyes flickered with barely restrained distrust. He noted every shift in their posture, every carefully measured response. The party, however, remained composed, denying any deception while subtly navigating his veiled threats. They insisted that their actions had only benefited the Zhentarim, claiming loyalty while offering to eliminate anyone obstructing his path. Despite their careful words, Urstul was not easily convinced. He knew the signs of deception and could feel the game being played beneath the surface. Though he had no solid proof, he made it clear that betrayal within the Zhentarim was not tolerated, punctuating his warning with the violent slam of a dagger into the table. 
   
   
4. Metatronia told Urstul they had heard that there were members of the Zhentarim who were unhappy with Urstul's leadership, and that the party could help root out the traitors. Urstul seemed to lower his guard for a moment, and Bruce attacked on cue. 
   
   
5. Urstul saw Bruce coming and twisted his ring, turning on a magical field that made him appear blurred. Despite this, Bruce successfully dealt Urstul several savage blows. Urstul responded by stabbing Bruce with his sword which had been laced with a powerful poison. Bruce collapsed in a quivering pile. 
   
   
6. Ziraj shot Pyper with his longbow before Kaevja blasted Metatronia, Pyper and Fearonuh with a cone of icy wind. Metatronia and Pyper nearly perished instantly, but each called upon their inner strength to withstand the bone chilling cold.
   
   
7. TMM05 attempted to charge through the pack of Zhents to get to Urstul but was repelled by the thugs. However this gave Vonna an opening to charge through on the other side and she used her powers to heal Bruce. 
   
   
8. Metatronia shouted to the Zhents saying that the party didn't wish to harm them, only Urstul, and that they would help replace him with a more effective leader. Then she hit Urstul with a well placed shot from the Crescent Moonbow and delivered the spell Fairie Fire, bathing him in a magical glow and countering the effects of his Ring of Blurr. 
   
   
9. Meanwhile, a mysterious figure appeared out of thin air. It was wearing a dark cloak with a hood obscuring its face. It appeared to be a male mage with long hair. His head was tilted in what might be amusement and seemed content to just watch the battle unfold. 
   
   
10. Gravely wounded, Urstul turned to the figure and yelled: "Arn't you going to help?!"
    
    
11. The mysterious figure responded simply by hurling a bolt of lightning at Urstul. Urstul let out a horrible scream of agony as he collapsed to the ground, dead.
    
    
12. In that moment, all the combatants froze, unsure how to proceed. The masked figure lowered his hand—calm, composed, as if he had merely closed a door. The party eyed him warily, weapons still half-raised, but he did not move to attack. Instead, he turned to them and tilted his head, as if amused.
    
    
13. TO BE CONTINUED