Exhausted yet alive, the group settled down for a night at the inn while others kept watch. There were no further dragon attacks, and what looting the orcs were doing seemed to be tailing off. None were disturbed from their slumber, except for Zenari.
">Zenari] found herself in an intensely familiar cabin, a place cared for and peaceful. She finds her mother there, but is quick to see through the illusion, for the kind eyes of her mother, [Arriset] were gone, and in their place a heartless gaze of glowing purple stared back at her. Understanding that this was an illusion, and that it was the [quari] once more attempting to infiltrate her mind for its own purposes, once more attempting to get her to give up the soul that was entwined with her own. She flat out denied her surroundings, what it attempted to be, as well as what the [quari] were asking of her. She felt a strong feeling from within her, deep emotions of frustration, rage, and denial of circumstances, and it channels through her. All her surroundings were destroyed in an instant, reshaped by her will into nothing but an empty void. The Quori was there, still, its form broken of its illusions. “We might not be able to hurt you in this realm, but we will find you in yours! You..” Whatever else the Quori might have said is halted by another blast of energy, and Zenari wakes up in the Stonehill inn, aware that she has somehow made herself immune to the infiltration of the Quori invading her mind.
Upon the rest of the group waking, they find that Factoréhad identified the various objects they had found, such as the pendant of disease protection, Sildar’s rapier, as well as a potion of speed. Pine was suspicious of the black mark on the pendant, however, and cast ‘remove curse’ upon it. He found that it had been battling against a virulent spell of ‘blight’, one that was now removed. The group headed together downstairs, and found most of the influential people of Phandalin around the large table there. Heated debate over what the course of action for the town should be, now that Sildar was not there to make such decisions. [check for party member responses?] Seeing no resolution in sight, ">Pine] offered to speak with the dead, for answers from one of the orc leaders, Grannoc, might help decision-making.
Together the group went to the townmaster’s hall, and hatched a plan to trick the corpse into giving the best answers. Siax and Koraliki helped create a space for Pine to hide in after casting the spell, for he would be recognised by the corpse, while ">Zenari] altered her appearance and kept a mind link with ">Pine] in order to grasp the questions. ">Pine] cast the spell, and it was only through the quick thinking of Koraliki, and the quick throwing of her backpack on top of him, that stopped him from being far more noticeable than any of them wished.
1. What is the name you have most recently been known by?
"The child of Gulthias"
2. What is the goal of your group in the sword coast?
"We plan a ritual a grand ritual to summon Gorthork the Thunder Boar, emissary of Talos, to smash and destroy everything in the sword coast."
3. What was your greatest accomplishment?
"I found a power in the Gulthias, outside of the other anchorites. I have become more than they, and shall take over. I shall destroy them."
4. What is your most significant unfinished business?
"Through the power I have done the impossible: I have created life. I still need to teach it, to show it the way to unlock its power, so it will become grander than any other."
5. What will put your soul to rest properly?
"My soul is no longer my own, it belongs to the tree. As long as the tree persists, so do I. If the tree dies, so do I."
Eminently pleased with the amount of information received, Pine was able to fill the group in with more information about the Gulthias tree from the stories from his clan. The group then spoke with the corpse of Harben Wester, whose pendant Grannoc had come to steal. This time ">Idris] took the forefront, having left Harben with a good impression in the past.
1. What is the use of the amulet that the half-orc took from you immediately before your death?
"The amulet can control the weather, change what is to come, make thunder into sunshine, make me rich."
2 and 3. Why would the half-orc want the amulet? Do you know anything about that?
"I don’t know. No."
4. Do you have any significant unfinished business?
"I am so close to making everyone in the town owe me a debt, enough that they could not escape. I could take control the city, finally leave it, return to Neverwinter richer than ever before."
5. Do you know of anyone in the lords alliance that could help us with the amulet?
"No, the amulet has nothing to do with them. It is mine, I took it fair and square from the Hill."
Once it was done, ">Idris] casts ‘gentle repose’ on Harbin Wester and Grannoc, in order that they could question them further at a later point should they wish. The group decided that going to clear out Axeholm first would be the best use of their time, and, leaving Phandalin in the capable, if disgruntled hands of Falcon, they headed off in that direction, having left the sending stone with him to better communicate. The travel was uneventful, the group managing even to forage for rations and Koraliki Verque to start making an extra healing potion as they moved. All was quiet and peaceful that was, except for Pine, who was visited by a forbidding spectre, a visible figure whose voice he knew from the shrine of orcs. It told him they had a test for him, and pointed out the location, and Pine felt drawn to a very specific point on the mountain ahead. When it was gone, disappeared, the group tried to comfort and reassure Pine, but he remained shaken, and they continued on.
Finally though, they reached the location that the Rockseeker brothers had found. Axeholm, or at least hints of it in the vents from deep underground showing on the surface. It was as they were discussing how to go about finding the entrance, that Pine once more felt a tug on his attention, and started out searching to the east, the group following for want of a better plan. It turned out to be a good one, for after a time scrambling over and around the rocky landscape, they came upon a huge dwarven edifice carved into the mountain. They had found the front door of Axeholm.
It was not the only thing they found, for atop it there were three figures. The one on the left was a shadowy figure with a jewelled gauntlet. This was the figure that Pine had seen, unknown to the others, in the [golden toe mine]. The middle figure was a 7 foot tall towering figure wreathed in shadow, cuts on his skin, malevolence in his voice. Pine had heard this one after the first time he had summoned ‘spirit guardians’. The figure on the right was the robed figure that had shrunken, almost diseased looking skin whom he had seen on the road on the journey there. Inside was their test, they said. They would be watching to see who would claim Pine soul. ">Idris]'s question about entering with Pine was met with murderous intent by the middle figure, stopped only by the one in the robes who told him that Pines companions would be needed for the test. Feeling confident about his position of safety, Idris stuck his tongue out at the middle figure only to be frozen, paralysed in place by a gesture by the figure on the left, and only time freed him of it.
Together the group made their way to the dwarven fortress, hoping to enter without splitting the party up and leaving people vulnerable. They found a way in atop the mountain, down a chimney, and while Siax and Idris managed to enter without issue that way, the rest of the group were not so lucky. Pine fell down with a crash, his claws having failed him, Factoré too did not fair so well, and the Rockseeker brothers had to be coaxed inside after seeing so many of the group falter getting down. Koraliki Verque was struggling with the thought of going into such a claustrophobic tunnel again, and so allowed ">Zenari] to try and teleport her in, but the spell misfired, causing her to teleport up instead of down, only to drop fully 60 feet into the fireplace below taking considerable damage, and doing little to shake her fear of enclosed spaces.
">Zenari], who was terribly apologetic towards Koraliki Verque, attempted to ease her fear by the casting of an illusion showing the night sky above them. There was little to see in the small room, other than a shield on the wall that had survived the tests of time intact. ">Pine] wrapped it in a blanket and carried it with him, even as ">Idris] opened the door. Outside the room the group could hear weeping. It seemed as though the fortress was not quite as abandoned as they had thought. 