(Session 1) The adventure begins in the late evening at The Yawning Portal in Waterdeep when a brawl breaks out at a nearby table between Yagra, an agent of the Zhentarium, and a group of thugs working for the Xanathar’s Guild. Shortly after the brawl a troll climbs up out of the Pit along with several stirges and engages the group in battle. The party is victorious in their battle and attract the attention of Volo.
Volo hires the group to rescue his friend, Floon Blagmar, who was last seen the night before at a seedy tavern in the Dock Ward named the Skewered Dragon. The party heads to the location to question the locals and discovers that Floon met with a friend, later discovered to be Renear Neverember, and they both left together followed by a group of suspicious looking thugs known to be associated with the Zentarium. The group is given a location; a warehouse off of Candle Lane in the Dock Ward where the thugs are known to hang out at.
The party arrives at this warehouse and discover the aftermath of a bloody battle between the Zhentarium and the Xanathar’s Guild with the Xanathar’s Guild being the victors. The three surviving Xanathar agents are subdued and questioned, but it turns out they knew nothing of Floon and that it was Renear Neverember that they were after. The party discovers Renear hiding in a closet where he escaped notice shortly before the battle began.
(Session 2)
It seems the Zhentarium and the Xanathar are both interested in Renear Neverember because of his ties to his father who hid a stock-pile of gold somewhere in the city. Floon was captured along with Renear, and when the Xanathar showed up to capture Renear from the Zhentarium Floon was captured by mistake while Renear hid in the closet.
The party learns from the Xanathar captives that Floon (who they thought was Renear) was taken to a hideout in the sewers for questioning. The party heads to the sewers where they fight some goblins and other agents of the Xanathar’s Guild where they rescue Floon and encounter a mind flayer who was there during the interrogation but only as a projected illusion.
The party then returns to The Yawning Portal with Floon to collect their reward but find Volo rather lacking in funds and unable to deliver the promised gold he had agreed to. Instead Volo presented the party with the deed to a piece of property he owned called Trollskull Manor within the North Ward. Volo warned the group that the manor/tavern was rumored to be haunted and that he had bought it for that reason to be used as research for his next book Volo’s Guide to Spectres and Spirits.