Chapter 3

General Summary

3.1: Escaping the Goblin Mines, the party returned to Ardrest with several of the town's young children. While taking some much earned rest in the Decrepit Crab, the party is confronted by Ansil Ironfist and Jandi Halfhill, who relate that in addition to the small children that were taken by the goblins, a group of the town's teens, one of Ansil's guards, and Jandi's infant daughter are still missing. Suspecting that the Black Sash Gang may be involved, the party sets off to locate the missing townsfolk.
3.2: Following the trail of the missing guard leads the party to investigate the home of Letitia Kelsey. They find little in the poor dwelling other than some hidden belongings (including a strange mask) and a crumpled note arranging a meeting by a tree outside the Underbarrel Farm, which Saleek had previously investigated.
3.3: The party arrives at the Underbarrel farm/brewery and finds it patrolled by members of the Black Sash Gang. Saleek subdues one guard and using magic he and Randal disguise themselves as Blacksash members. When Varian and Saleek sneak into the brewery building they find a hidden room, with stairs that lead down into darkness. Outside Randal attempts to brefriend the guards, while Rini and Kenris watch from a distance. The party splits up and heads onward.

• 3.3.A Saleek and Varian head down a spirialing staircase into a cavern below the farm. There they find the ruins of some long abandoned city, and more blacksash thugs leading a Firbolg girl in chains. The pair dispatch the thugs, and free the girl who introduces herself as Admoira. Though lacking confidence, she is infact a powerful druid, which she proves as the trio finds another group of Blacksashes waiting in ambush for them. Admoira becomes a fierce giant wolf, while the party reveals that one of the men in the room was Randal in disguise. Once the Blacksashes are dispatched, the party heads onward, where they will soon be rejoined by Rini and Kenris.
• 3.3.B Rini and Kenris watch Varian and Saleek head deeper into the lair, and sometime later Randal follows. As sometime passes and none of their companions have returned, they follow. Rini quickly magically dispatches the remaining Blacksash guard, and on the way down, identifies that the Blacksash appear to be using a series of Ilyrian ruins located beneath the farm as their headquarters. The pair rush to rejoin the party.
• 3.3.C: Randal after several drinks and more convincing of the Blacksash guards followed them below the farm, traveling the same route as Saleek and Varian had gone earlier.

3.4: The party, reunited presses deeper into the thieves' hideout, by passing an obvious trap thanks to Rini, the group fights several well armed blacksashes and discovered the room where Admoira had been kept prisoner. Although she knew she had been kept with other teens, she knew nothing about Alma Halfhill.
3.5: The party presses deeper into the theives' hideout only to find a single halfling man waiting for them, he gives his name as Vlinek, but is in fact, Kelvin Underbarrel and once his deception is discovered he attacks. Though fighting in cramped quarters, though fire and smoke, the heroes triumph, and take a wounded Kelvin and many of his notes as prizes.
3.6: Having defeated most of the Blacksashes, the heroes move to free their prisoners. While searching the cells, they are attacked by a maddened Tilly Colton who was in the process of torturing Letitia Kelsey. The party was forced to put the woman down, but doing so caused her to vomit up some foul cursed ichor that hinted there was more going on than a simple group of thieves. While not finding Alma, the party did find the rest of Adrest's missing teens, and after a long, dangerous night, were able to return them home. On the way back they found Kelvin's wife in her farmhouse. While she seemed (perhaps intentionally) unaware of her husband's misdeeds, she did share with the group some gossip concerning witches in the southern woods, and Jandi making a deal with them to have her child.

Missions/Quests Completed

• Rescue the Adrest teens

Notes

• The party saw the first hint of the hag's corruption in Ardrest in the death of Tilly Colton.
• The recovered proof of Kelvin's wrong doings and his notes tracking the suffering of the town

Report Date

03 Mar 2023

Primary Location

Ardrest

Secondary Location

Underbarrel Farm

Related Characters

• Admoira
• Ansil Ironfist
• Flyndak Greenvalley
• Jandi Halfhill
• Kelvin Underbarrel
• Kenris
• Letitia Kelsey
• Randal
• Rini
• Saleek
• Tilly Colton
• Varian

Transcripts
3.1 Return to Ardrest
3.2 Chasing Kelsey
3.3 The Underbarrel Farm

• 3.3.A Down the Stairs
• 3.3.B Those Outside
• 3.3.C Randal and the Blacksashes
• 3.3.D A new friend?

3.4 Under the Underbarrel: The Hideout
3.5: Under the Underbarrel: the Boss
3.6 Under the Underbarrel: Wrap Up