Spy Master,

The Big Man had a big job today. Gathered up the Grunges, the Cat Bard, the Mouseman, and even Candlekeep. Said Volothamp Geddarm needed some work done and took us all to the Yawning Portal. It’s a strange place, Spy Master. Trolls and Stirges came right up out of a big whole in the middle of the room. But we helped the Barman put them down and he gave us free drinks.

Volo said that the Zhentarim and the Xanathar Guild have been fighting a gang war in the streets. The Grunges were interested in joining up, and did not seem to care which side. That’s not the problem though, Volo’s friend Floom Blagmar is missing, and maybe taken. From near the Skewered Dragon on Snail Street, two nights ago. He wants to pay us to find him, and everyone likes money, so we agree.

On the way down, we see half dozen corpses in the road, and three bloody men being arrested by the guards. I don’t look too closely, too much blood, but the others start mumbling about a flying snake tattoo and a semi-circle wheel tattoo. I think the flying snake is like yours, Spy Master, and they say the other is the Xanthar folk. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell them anything.

Down near the Skewered Dragon, there’s a shop with a giant, purple, stuffed eye monster in the window. I head for the tavern, but everyone else goes in the shop, so I close my eyes and followed them in. Everything is purple, everything. Even Xoblob, the gnome owner. Red starts buying stuff to get him to talk, and soon everyone is buying things. I even found a tiny book of ship manifests with the most interesting names.

Xoblob tells us that Floom was with another guy who looked just like him, and they got attacked by a group of men right outside the tavern. One of the men had a flying snake tattoo on his neck, but Xoblob didn’t stick around to see what happened.

We head to the tavern, and spread out to talk with folk. Floom’s friend was Daggult Neverember’s son Renaer. The men that attacked them had been inside the tavern and followed them out. There’s a warehouse up on Candle Lane with a flying snake on the door, some old drunk told us, so we head out.

It isn’t hard to find, and the street is fairly quiet. Red jumps up top to take a look, but only found an upper storage room. He and Orange decide to do something called Plan Haunted Doll. Red and Cat Bard head up to the Roof and the rest of us head around back. Orange and Candlekeep want to get through the gate to the back door so we can go in at the right time, but they make a terrible noise getting the chain off.

No one comes running out to stop us, so we sneak in. I stay well back from these noisy men. The Big Man’s steps are so loud, and Mouseman has a Construct with him! There’s a weird voice coming from inside, and Orange says it’s time to go in. He and Candlekeep head in first, and get jumped almost immediately. There’s a lot of fighting then, and too much dying.

When it stops, there are twelve dead Zhentarims that we didn’t kill, and seven dead Kenku that we did, and one still alive Kenku that Red questions. His name is Click Switch, and Red offers to join the Xanathar Guild, because they took out all the Zhents, and fought so well. Click Switch tells him what their orders were: Follow the Yellow Signs in the Sewers, Tie Up the Pretty Boy in the Back Room, Get him to the Boss.

We split up then, Cat Bard, Orange, and I go upstairs and the others search downstairs. We find some paintings and some silver, and I get two more proper manifests to add to my collection off the boxes. When we get back down, they’ve pulled a guy out of a back room. Says his name is Ranaer and the half orcs took Floom by mistake. Then the City Guard arrive, but Ranaer says he’ll deal with them.