Link to Ritchie county documents and tax information
You can use the above link to go to the tax records, put in 3 - 9 - 6 and -7 for the D - Map - P search, find the name (or names) go to the document (CSS Central Inquiry) and put in the name(s) you find. See if you find a deed or will or something with this name, then see if it refers to something else. Trace it back to find mineral owners.
Then go forward to see if you find current owners.
Alternatively, put in Antero for your business search (in the document search and select dates for maybe the last month. See what the acreage description on your lease, then see if you see any other leases for that acreage. Check the lease to see if the same parcels. If so you can see if others have signed leases.
You can call the assessor's office and ask about buying a tax map of that number (Clay 9), and see if they sell index maps for that district (Clay index map).
You can go here to the WV Office of Oil and Gas map and see if you can find Ritchie county, and look towards the northeast corner where you can find Clay district. If you have the Clay index map you can look for landmarks, and look around and find those parcels from your Clay 9 map. Then see if you see any wells permitted in the area.
That is a start.
There are a number of undesirable parts of the lease you have been offered, that you have identified. You can tell (by written communication, email or US mail) your landman that you want these changed.
It is really not that expensive to get a lawyer to help with this. WV Mineral Owner knows a good one. He can probably get you enough more money to cover his fee. Then you can avoid the suit.
If you need help with the tax or documents search, please ask. I am happy to answer general questions about this, or perhaps others can. It is a complicated process but not impossible.