← Previous Session: Session 002: Introductions to Sildar Hallwinter and Phandalin

29 Ches 1471 (Day 4)

Midday 

Party goes to the Shrine of Luck

• The Party leaves Barthen's Provisions, following Persi to the Shrine of Luck
  • Persi gives 1 GP each to Tymora and Beshaba
  • Persi dumps 48 GP into the shrine
  • The 50 GP he donated was given to The Party by Linene Graywind for returning the goods stolen by Klarg and his goblin raider from Lionshield Coster caravans moving along the Triboar Trail
• The Party meets Garaele Xil'oama, a wood elf Sister of Tymora
  • A band of particularly brutal orcs have been raiding along the eastern end of the Triboar Trail leaving mutilated bodies along the trail and severely disrupting trade.
  • The Redbrands have been in town for a couple of years
    • Started as an unorganized band of ne’er-do-wells but became more aggressive and violent over time
    • Someone named “Glasstaff” took over the gang more recently, coinciding with the beginning of the protection racket
  • ’Rig’and Vala realize that Garaele Xil'oama is wearing the symbol of The Harpers
  • A short, black bearded wizard who may have been Iarno "Glasstaff" Albrek came into Phandalin about 2 months ago and started inquiring about The Redbrands

The Party Splits 

"Rig" Visits the Stonehill Inn Porch

• ’Rig’pretends to porch drink all day while keeping an eye out to see what she sees
  • ’Rig’noticed Sildar and Garaele Xil'oama having a secretive conversation
    • It was evident that they knew each other well, but their manner was professional

Orthanc, Persi, and Vala Visit Alderleaf Farm

• Persi, Vala, and Orthanc travel to Alderleaf Farm where Carp Alderleaf, a 10-year-old Lightfoot halfling boy, answers the door
  • Very outgoing, talkative, and interested in adventuring
  • Takes a well-equipped backpack out with him everywhere
  • Very good at remaining unseen, particularly by “the big folk”
  • Travels all around the town, practicing to be an adventurer and knows the hidden and hard-to-find places well
  • Got close enough to a Redbrand to touch him without being noticed
  • Saw two Redbrands entering a hidden entrance to Tresendar Manor, south of the building, below the second hill
  • Orthanc suggests that Carp start murdering people at the age of 10
•  Qelline Alderleaf, 45-year-old Lightfoot halfling woman, is gardening behind her house
  • Taught her son the ability to read people very well
    • |Persi believes that Qelline has “The Sight”
  • Carp was named for his father’s love of and terrible ability at fishing
  • Qelline’s husband died several years ago and is buried under a large oak on the farm
  • Offers alchemy and herbalism supplies, recipes, and training to Vala]
  • Knows everything about Carp’s adventurers, but pretends his secret is safe
  • Suggests The Party talk to The Townmaster Harbin Wester about the Redbrand threat

Side Quest Acquired >>  Investigate the Ruins of Thundertree

•  Qelline offers any help she can provide if  The Party looks in on Reidoth, a druid, who knows much about nature, arcane magic, and history traveled to the Investigate the Ruins of Thundertree six months ago and hasn’t been seen since
• Thundertree was a prosperous logging community on Neverwinter River just outside Neverwinter Wood
• Loggers sent felled trees and floated them downriver to Neverwinter to be used in construction and trade
• No one has heard from Thundertree since The Ruining - it’s assumed destroyed
• Reidoth is a renowned scholar who knows much about history in the area and may know something about the location and details of The Forge of Spells

Evening

• The Party returns to the Stonehill Inn at night and meets up with ’Rig’
• Persi tried to kick ’Rig’’s feet out from under her but she quickly reacts to avoid it
• Vala plays her harp very well after dinner
• ’Rig’heads to the Shrine of Luck , places her trinket “8 unusual coins” on the shrine, in the shape of a full moon, and prays to Tymora
• ’Rig’believes her father was cursed by Beshaba
• Vala prays to her gods and burns incense
• The Party spends a Long Rest at The Stonehill Inn and advances to Level 2

30 Ches 1471 (Day 5)

Morning

The Party Goes to The Townmaster's Hall 

• At breakfast, Toblen Stonehill mentions that Sildar Hallwinter would be spending the day examining records at The Townmaster's Hall and that he’d like to speak with The Party
• The Party heads to The Townmaster's Hall, where they meet Townmaster Harbin Wester
• Wester claims that The Redbrands are only a “mercenary group,” who are legally contracted to work in Phandalin "No ABSOLUTE proof has been shown of any illegal activities by the Redbrands"
• Vala] Insights the shit out of Wester and deduces that he is terrified of the ruffian group and feels powerless to act against them, mostly because no one with significant martial training or skills in the arcane arts is available to resist them
  • Deduction: Harbin Wester is a slovenly, cowardly, vacuous, and self-deluded waste of flesh

Side Quest Acquired>>  Orc Raiders Near Wyvern Tor

• An unknown orc band has set up camp somewhere near Wyvern Tor on the eastern edge of the Triboar Trail
  
• Their raids against caravanners have been particularly savage. Few escape alive and the orcs leave mutilated remains of the unlucky traders along the Triboar Trail
•  Phandalin has raised 200 GP to be awarded to any group that removes the orc gangs camped there

Meeting with Sildar

• The Party meets with Sildar Hallwinter in a records room at The Townmaster's Hall
•  Sildar smokes a pipe while he’s deep in thought
• ’Rig’hip checks Vala into the room while she’s trying to look in on Sildar
• Persi tries to get into The Townmaster’s residence but the door is locked and the outdoor windows are shuttered
• Sildar thinks that Harbin Westeris a feckless, useless coward who has no right being in charge of Phandalin
• Sildar has gathered information from the Phandalin records, but they only go back about 50 years
  • In the past couple of years, a goblin tribe called The Cragmaw's moved into the region and ran out all other goblinoid tribes
  • Headquartered at Cragmaw Cave Hideout but the location is unknown
  • Sildar believes that Klarg sent the map to the chief of the Cragmaws at the castle
  • Gundren Rockseeker was sent to The Black Spider but he doesn’t know where
• Sildar suggests The Party talk with Garaele Xil'oama because she is “not exactly all that she seems”

Side Quest Acquired >>  The Redbrand Menace

• Sildar  offers The Party 200 GP on behalf of The Lords' Alliance to run The Redbrands out of Phandalin.
• The Alliance has an interest in developing Phandalin into a viable community for eventual entrance into the compact

NPC Quest Acquired >>  The Fate of Iarno Albrek

• Sildar was heading to Phandalin  at the behest of the Lords' Alliance to check on the status of his contact there, the human wizard Iarno Albrek when he was attacked.
  • Albrek is a novice in the Lords' Alliance and was sent 2 months prior to investigate Phandalin and bring law and order to the town
  • Albrek is a capable mage and an insignificant son of a minor noble from Waterdeep, who joined the Lords' Alliance because he had no chance of inheritance
  • Albrek is not considered the best agent for the Lords' Alliance and was sent to Phandalin as a scout before someone more important could find time

Main Quest Acquired>>  Clear Out Cragmaw Castle

• The Lords' Alliance believes Phandalin will not be able to thrive with the Cragmaw goblin tribe raiding the region
• Sildar offers The Party 500 GP to find Cragmaw Castle and remove the Cragmaw tribe
• Gundren Rockseeker's map was sent to the chief of the Cragmaws at the castle and recovering it may lead to the location of Wave Echo Cave
  
• Sildar and The Lords' Alliance know of Reidoth the Druid and suspect that he may know the location of Cragmaw Castleor Wave Echo Cave
•  Halia Thornton, the head of The Phandalin Miner's Exchange, may know the whereabouts of Cragmaw Castle
  • When Halia discovered that Sildar was working for The Lords' Alliance, she became uncooperative

Late Afternoon

The Party Goes to the Sleeping Giant

• The Party heads toward The Sleeping Giant and meet a band of Redbrands on the street at the edge of town
  • The Redbrand Ruffians suggest that The Party stop asking around about their “organization” and stay out of their territory
  • The Party largely ignores the Redbrands’ veiled threats and combat begins
• The Party quickly dispatches a band of 4  Redbrand Ruffian(100 XP to each PC)
• The Party carries half of a Redbrand Ruffian back to The Townmaster's Hall, where Persi]  barges in and splats the halved Redbrand corpse onto the desk
• Harbin Wester is appalled and surprised and promptly passes out
  
• Sildar recommends that The Party remove the corpse from public
  
• The Party takes a Short Rest for 1 hour outside of view of the citizenry of Phandalin

Evening/Night

• The Party returns to the site of the battle with the Redbrands and removes the bodies from the road
• The Party advances to The Sleeping Giant, bringing the half body with them
• The Party meets Grista, female hill dwarf, who is tending bar
  • The Redbrands are called to Tresendar Manor each evening to meet and usually return within an hour
  • Grista would love to see the Rebrands gone but she is terrified of them
    • The Redbrands have her son hostage to ensure Grista keeps running The Sleeping Giant
    • Fears that if The Party begins a fight with the Redbrands and any survive, it will come back on her and the girls working at the Sleeping Giant
  • Grista has seen around a dozen Redbrands at the Sleeping Giant but believes there could be as many as two dozen
  • Someone named “Glasstaff” took over the Redbrands a few months ago
• The Party waits in the trees to attempt an ambush on the Redbrands returning from Tresendar Manor, but none arrive after several hours

The Party Splits

 Persi Goes to the Tresendar Manor Ruins

• Persi goes, alone, up the trail to Tresendar Manor, which is entirely in ruins
  • Climbs the roof and beds down for the night

Orthanc, "Rig", and Vala return to the Stonehill Inn

• On the trip back, Rig secretly leaves a note staying “Nobody disrespects the sons” with the half body at the entrance to The Sleeping Giant
• Vala] notifies Toblen Stonehill that The Party killed several of the Redbrands
  • Toblen is very concerned that the Redbrands will now bring retribution on the town
• The Party takes a Long Rest, beginning at deep night
• Vala wards their sleeping places with an Alarm ritual, using a whistle from ’Rig’and a string from her own harp

1 Tarsakh 1471 (Day 6)

Just Before Dawn 

• Vala, Orthanc, and ’Rig’awake to screaming coming from the east end of town
• Arrive at The Sleeping Giant, which is in a giant whirlwind of fire
• The Party helps put out the fire

Morning

• The Party finds a piece of parchment with a streak of blood on it
  • The note very politely notifies The Party that Persi] is in the manor with Glasstaff
  • Offers for The Party to come to the manor to have a “man-to-man conversation”
  • The Party heads to Tresendar Manor and finds a cellar door in what was likely a kitchen