Of Information, Silver, and Revenge: Changing plans and getting our own back against the bitey creatures

Great news: The inspired decision to silver our weapons proved most effective against the bitey rat creatures. It felt good to do damage that, well, did damage. Today we killed by my count 8 of the foul creatures, and I am loving my new ability to target a second creature with the bow. But I get ahead of myself.
 
Our adventure to the mine re-re-started in town when we decided we were going to *not* go back to the mine and instead take on the Axeholm adventure. We found some excellent advice in the Miner's Exchange, where Halia was able to give us some positive landmarks to roughly identify the ancient Dwarven stronghold. We also geared up there, and the party bought some mules to serve as pack animals. I am thankful Baric knew what he was doing to strap the saddles and saddle bags to the beasts -- I will do my best to learn so he's not the only one saddled with saddling the mules. So to speak.
 
Our destination lies to the NNW, along an ancient mountain trail that runs to the pass between the Twin Sisters peaks. Halia was able to give us a rough X on the map that will be a good starting point, and I look forward to the challenge of scouting the trail and discovering the ancient fortress. She offered an apprentice to go along with us, which was exceedingly kind, but the kid didn't look like he would hold up well in a battle and I suspect we will be in for a fight when we get there -- let alone what might befall us along the way. (For what it's worth, I am still planning on entreating the dwarves to claim the fortress for themselves and their kin -- with the understanding that if all goes to hell in town with the dragon (or the orc raids) the townsfolk would still be warmly welcomed, and, as a bonus, would have a cadre of dwarves to help protect them when we are not there. (NB: I would collect our reward for clearing the place before I let Harbin know about the new owners in case he was feeling proprietary about it, it that's how things fell out.))
 
Anyway. Just as we were about to start off, Baric had a pang of conscience about the likely slaves we abandoned after two humiliating defeats at the hands of the ratmen in the mine. Between the pang of conscience and the sting of previous failure, we decided at the last minute to make that our first priority. The blacksmith actually did a really admirable job of silvering some weapons (20 arrow heads and 2 clubs) and after a day in town, we had our new shiny weapons ready and set off towards the mines.
 
As is usual, we avoided the obvious orc trails; made cold camp well off the path; unsaddled the mules and hobbled them, brushed them down and gave them some oats; cast a final goodberry spell or two; set our watches; and did our best to erase any tracks of our being there when we left. Also as usual, I acted as scout ahead of the party, and practiced moving silently, and using Mask of the Wild along the way. It's almost a compulsion to find shadows wherever I can. I like to be hidden.
 
We arrived at the mine early the next morning, and gathered for our attack, hopeful but still unsure of the efficacy of our new weapons. After some careful scouting, I could tell that the mine entrance was occupied, but could not tell by how many or by whom. Baric cast a blessing in the form of flicking water on us; and honestly I feel like it was a genuine difference-maker in the battle: my arrows flew a little truer, and the dwarves were just a little more tough up front. Ozzie full-on sprinted into the entrance, cutting an impressive figure with the silvered club held high and full of dwarven rage. I moved within range and set a mark on the first creature I saw, Baric moved up ahead of me and set a flaming sword of light, and Dash sprinted after Ozzie into the heat of the battle. Angry dwarves are a sight to behold.
 
The good news: the silvered weapons worked! The bad news: their bites and weapons also still worked! There were some touch-and-go moments in the battle and Dash fell at least once only to be quickly revived by Baric. As we routed the defenses, the remaining two creatures turned to flee; one got past us and the other did not survive his attempt to flee. Dash, living up to his name, full-on sprinted after the one that got away, and the party did a nice job of still sticking together and following Dash's lead through the tunnels.
 
We dispatched two more creatures in our chase, and I believe we ran about a full circle and are back in the mine entrance where I am quickly updating my journal as a bonus action.
 
We will need to regroup and decide if we press on or retreat to heal up and regain spells. There were stairs we passed on our chase (which I suspect lead to the mine itself) but I'd like to do a more thorough sweep of the caves up here before committing to the mine, whether that is now or after a rest.
 
I also want to collect as many spent arrows as I can during our pause; I have 9 arrows of the original 20 silvered arrows, but I'd be a lot more comfortable with a full quiver. I suspect I'll get a good third of the arrows back, but at the very least I will pull the broken shafts to collect the silvered heads to bind to a new shaft. (I may need to do a little digging around to get them, but i think the party is used to seeing me gut creatures so that shouldn't be too alarming for them. The hard ones to find will be the head shots -- cracking open a skull is surprisingly hard work.)
 
A final note: the strange headaches and occasional troubled meditations at night have been getting more pronounced. I have been shrugging them off for a while, but the last time I had one of my spells I had blurred vision and realized I couldn't really tell how long I had been struggling with it. I shared this with the party because they deserve to know that I may at some point fall prey to the fogginess in a critical moment. Baric cast a special spell of Restoration that I am hoping will cure me of this disease or poison or whatever it is that has been troubling me. I can't tell if it has cured me, but I did feel tingly when he cast the spell and I have not fallen under the pall of weakness since. Plus, I have come to put a great deal of faith in the Cleric of the Blinding Light.