(S02) A Word of Warning

Waking up in the Stonehill Inn the hastily assigned group woke up and made good use of the paper given to them by Sildar Hallwinter, eating the stew and drinking some ale. After some discussion, they all agreed to do the tasks asked of them after a few purchases needed for the travel ahead. First visiting Barthen's Provisions they met Elmar Barthen himself who seemed grumpy and ill at ease. He sold them rations and tents but conspicuously did not have any cold weather clothing.
After asking for weaponry Elmar sent them to the Lionshield Coster where Linene Graywind herself sold them some equipment. Pine additionally made a stop to the Phandalin Church and met Brother Gartok and Sister Sandren, whereupon he made a small donation to the temple and received a small blessing from the Sister. After these visits were made the group left using the south mining trail, heading towards the Umbrage Hill Windmill. The journey was uneventful but it was hard not to notice how abnormal the weather had gotten. The land here was less forested with rolling hills covering a huge expanse, as far as the eye could see. Finally, they could make out the windmill in the distance. Closing in they heard a massive crash, the sound of a large creature bashing into the windmill followed by the sound of an artic wind. Fearing the Dragon the group aproached cautiously but instead saw Adabra Gwynn attempting to keep back a Winter Wolf from bashing in the windmill door.

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Koraliki Verque circled around, keeping her distance and Siax leveled his bow towards the beast. However it quickly detected them and shouted at them in a monstous rendition of common to stay out of it. Pine with the help of Idris actually engaged the creature in conversation attepting to convince it to cease hostilities. After Pine gave it some of his rations and actually called upon his power to heal a grievous wound that was on the wolf (clearly caused by a dragon) the Wolf seemed molified enough to accept a tribute of a hunt in order to leave the windmill alone. Siax was very hesitant but lead the hunt finally finding a small herd of mountain goats. Landing a masterfull hit heHe made sure to warn the wol that if it kept trying to hurt the townfolk it would not end well and with that warning and all the help they had provided the wolf it seemed convinced and led them back to it's nest revealing that she had a young cub. She informed the group that she would do as instructed and possibly try and get over the Sword Mountains and try and find better hunting grounds on the other side.

Meanwhile Zenari was speaking to Adabra Gwynn and was suprised to find she was also an acolyte of Mishakal. Adabra was overjoyed to meet her but refused to go back to Phandalin as she put it "Home is a funny thing. Some people find it the moment they are born, others can search for it forever. I found mine and I will not leave it.” She instead gave Zenari a note adressed to Sildar Hallwinter assuring him that she was fine alongside with a herbalism kit, a healing potion and a root that can ease exhaustion. After Zenari asked her if she knew anything about a wizard she was informed that one seemed to have taken residense in the ruined town of Thundertree. However, she warned her that he gave an odd vibe when she met himShe informed her that she would head to town soon and started sweeping up debris. Idris was briefly concripted in the sweeping as she told him that that same wizard might know of the Dragon Barrow. She did also tell him there was a wanderer named Xanthir that was looking for the same place that had last been seen going into the Neverwinter Woods.

While all this was happening Pine sensed dead that were not laid to rest on a nearby hillock. Shockingly he encountered a Dwarven specter that was laughing at a gruesome spectacle, a small army of Dwaren spirits massacring each other. He informed Pine that Umbrage Hill got its name after two feuding dwarf clans fought a pitched battle atop it but that the cause of their umbrage is a tale lost to time. Investigating, Pine found out that the cairns had been damaged by time and bones had been uncovered. Covering them and casting funeral rites seemed to put the spirits at easy, a small gemstone dropping from the spirit before it vanished.

The group met up together again and shared what had happpened. Next stop, Dwarven Expedition.

The ruins that the Rockseeker brothers had found were nestled in a small canyon almost invisible from the hillocks however Siax was able to find tracks of their cart and lead the party farther in.

The canyon’s rocky walls rose to a height of eighty feet. At the end of the canyon, a twenty-foot-high wall of black stone had a broken gate carved into it, with one stone door hanging precariously by a hinge and the other door missing. Beyond this open gate, in the shadow of a great mountain to the east, the party spotted a ruined settlement, destroyed by time and landslides. All was quiet. Siax spotted some tracks. Two heavy booted footprints, shorter legs, possibly Dwarfs. A bit farther several Orc tracks heading towards the opening before doubling back, one with an obvious limp. Looking closer he spotted that there was some dried blood on the grass below and also a circular area that had burnt grass. Moving hesitantly, the group entered the ruins, with Idris striding forward. A shout from Pine knocked a rock down but Siax was thankfully able to shove Idris out of the way. Looking around the group was stuck for a while as Idris collected random things such as an old, rusted key and some rope (and a brick) and Koraliki Verque finding a small wooden music box. When Koraliki entered the area she instantly spotted that what appeared to be solid cannyon wall actually had an opening, carefully hidden by placing debris Infront of it. Making their way through they came across Nundro Rockseeker and Gundren Rockseeker arguing about something.

-"Well, we can't just sit here when what we worked for months is literally there."
-"Brother if I use the smokepowder the whole mountain will fall on us, it is extremely unstable in there!"
-"I AM FEELING EXTREMELY UNSTABLE!"
-"Easy brother, we will figure it out, perhaps smoke would drive them out?"
- Perhaps I should go in there and..."

Introducing themselves the party quickly warned the brothers about the dragon who enquired about its size and color. They agreed to head back to the city but Gundren Rockseeker had a deal for what he now saw was a capable group. He explained that he and his brother had uncovered a temple of Abbathor, an evil and ancient Dwarven God and that while they had made their way in something had fallen and destroyed their light source. If the party would go in and dispatch these threats, they could keep 50% of what they found and keep a pair of sending stones for good measure. The party was hesitant but after the Dwarf mentioned that since there was a Dragon in the are any magical artifact could be a boon worthy of a little risk they agreed and ventured in. They found a small room, with a shrine and no other exit. There was one secret door, found earlier by Nundro Rockseeker so some of the party looked for another. They found one but had no way of opening it. Thankfully (or perhaps unthankfully) Idris messed with the shrine, paying it a gold, which resulted in a secret door opening.

Idris headed down the small corridor past this door and eventually found himself in a partially collapsed room where a red robbed dwarven skeleton was half consumed in the dirt. There was a pendant on his neck with Dwarven runes upon it that Idris took. No sooner that he turned to leave he heard the sound of sludge hitting the floor and was attacked by some sort of gold-tinged liquid. Shouting for help, he was able to repel it and the others streamed into the small passageway, save for Koraliki Verque. Alas the golden sludge came out of the wall behind the party thus trapping them in the corridor and as Siax found out they were extremely acidic. Koraliki and the Dwarves were not safe either as another such sludge poured out of the previously empty room and towards them! A truly vicious situation with light and hope both dwindling fast...