Ten days had passed since the group had returned to Phandalin, with all of them dedicating themselves to different tasks (seen in (S05) Downtime in Phandalin). And yet, meeting up in the Stonehill Inn it was obvious that they planned to continue travelling together. An unspoken bond had grown between these people and to keep travelling together felt natural. There was much talk about where to head next. Siax let the group know about his small adventure in the woods, where he had tracked the Orcs all the way to the Woodland Manse, an overgrown villa found in the Neverwinter Woods. It was teeming with orcs and overseen by a Half-Orc man. While Siax was pleased to have found the location he did not think it would be wise to assault the place as they were now and letting Sildar Hallwinter know would only add to the stress of responsibility that was slowly but surely killing the man.
It was then that Zenari told them all about Sildar Hallwinter's request to take supplies from Elmar Barthen to the Loggers’ Camp, found deep in the Neverwinter Woods. Delivery of lumber has been delayed which has folks worried but with the current situation none can be spared to go check. The camp is apparently run by Harbin Wester's brother, a man called Tibor Wester. This seemed like a logical first destination as it would place them close to Thundertree, the location of the Wizard Zatharius who not only could possibly help Zenari understand what her abilities meant but also could know the location of the Dragon Barrow, the tomb that Idris was questing to find. Readily agreeing the group set out to Barthen's Provisions. When they got there Elmar Barthen greeted them and apologized for his earlier brusqueness. He had thought them vagabonds and wastrels but after the help they had given the city he had reconsidered and offered them a discount. When they told him they were there to pick up the supplies he smiled and introduced them to Vincent, a massive Ox that was used to transport supplies through the forest. Despite the creatures bulk it apparently had a deft manner and could get through forested land without much trouble. Finally, Elmar suggested they push hard on the first day and reach Falcon's Hunting Lodge which would be a safe resting spot before heading to the camp proper.
Before they left they went by the Townmaster's Hall in the hopes of selling one of the items taken from Gnomegarde to the Mayor. As they approached however they saw the door to the Hall opening and a man walking out. A powerful build, toped by a hat featuring various beasts teeth, the man saw them and introduced himself as Don-Jon Raskin. He informed them he was the hired foreman for Mountain's Toe Gold Mine and that he was looking for folk to accompany him to the mine as the miners had stopped responding. He was in no great rush but planned to head out that way in a week. If the party was interested in coin (and possibly rescuing miners) they should seek him out in the Stonehill Inn. He would stay there for a ten day and head to the mine if he did not find any mercenaries he could hire.
The trip to the Loggers’ Camp was relatively peaceful. There was an odd encounter half way there, seeing a pack of pigs that were branded with the initials BAK, surrounding a wild Boar, almost communing with it. ">Idris], always a soft soul, approached the pigs and fed them rations. Fearing the creature's response ">Koraliki Verque] was moments away from climbing a tree but the pigs seemed happy enough to eat. The boar did not approach, merely glaring at ">Idris]. The party then continued on. Truly the only negative thing that day was the grueling pace the party had set for themselves. Pine especially seemed exhausted as the lodge appeared in the distance. It was quite a sizable structure, The main lodge being a two-story building with the heads of various game hanging as trophies on the walls of the dining hall. A fortified tower is attached to the main house. Additionally, the compound included a guest house, a connected two-story stable house and smithy, a gatehouse, animal pens and an outhouse.
Ringing the bell, the party was greeted and brought inside by an elderly man named Corwin who recognized Vincent. A young mute boy, maybe around 12 named Pell led Vincent to the pens while the party dropped off their stuff in the guest house. Several of them, including Pine went to sleep straight away but Idris, Siax and Zenari decided to join Falcon, aka "Falcon" for dinner. An impressive looking man, Falcon was two meters tall, broad shoulders and cold blue eyes. He was somewhat cordial and welcoming but quickly brightened when Siax not only informed him who he was (It seemed Gustaf had a past with Siax's grandfather and father) but also presented him with a bottle of wine, a fine elven vintage that he had purchased at the Stonehill Inn.
Idris mentioned his family name which didn't seem to impress Falcon. He informed Idris that a member of his house, a distant uncle had been through here, paying Gustaf for his services as a guide and hunter. However after Idris spoke about what he thought what they should do Falcon seemed to soften to him. People of action, it seemed, were what he respected. Falcon was very interested in what Siax had to say about the new residents of Woodland Manse and even started making plans on how to attack it. He needed time to plan the assault but he hoped he could count on the party to join him when it was ready to begin, the hatred of Orcs clear in his face. He was also concerned about the pigs that the group had found as the initials meant the pigs were from the Butterskull Ranch, a holding out in the east. Hours passed, and drinking was had. Falcon, seemingly energized by stories of the past and promises of the future attack was moved and granted Siax a gift, a cloak akin to the ones used by high ranking members of The Guided Path. He bid the heroes goodnight and retired for the evening.
The next day found the group rested and ready to go. The Loggers’ Camp wasn't too far so they didn't set a punishing pace, opting instead to walk at a normal speed. A few hours later they arrived to the Loggers’ Camp, finding it completely empty.
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