Session 5 - The Glasstaff

General Summary

Date: 12th Day of Mirtul 1491 DR

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The Party:
Aether – Level 3 Human, Circle of the Moon Druid
Duncun – Level 3 Human, Champion Fighter
Kailo - Level 3 Wood Elf, Kensei Monk
Xavien - Level 3 High Elf, Necromancer Wizard

Report:

After defeating the bugbears, the party, being spent debate on whether to take a short rest, or call it a night, and if they do call it a night where do they spend it? With the northern bridge collapsed after the bugbear encounter Duncun notices the cubby hole on the western wall of the crevasse that Aether had mentioned. Duncun climbs down and inspects the hole curious to know what lies inside. He finds a battered wooden chest that holds silver and gold coins, five malachite gems, two potions of healing, and a spell scroll. However the thing that catches Duncun's eye is a longsword that also lies in the chest. In a silver-chased scabbard, the hilt worked in the shape of a bird of prey with outspread wings, and inscribed on the blade the name Talon. Xavien ritually casts detect magic to see what goodies they may of found. He notices that the floor at the bottom of the crevasse is giving off an necrotic aura while the sword is clearly enchanted. Xavien decides he wants that sweet sweet bedazzled eyepatch one of the bugbears was wearing and climbs to the other side of the cavern and loots the body, putting the eyepatch on, finding a key and a money pouch. The party decides it best to only take a short rest, and Duncun attunes to his new sword Talon.

After their rest the party then discusses how they are going to approach the last room in the hideout, one of them suggests looking for a secret door on the western wall of the chamber north of the cavern, since there is a secret door on the eastern wall of the said chamber and they had also discovered a secret door down a hallway on the south side of the cavern that lead back to the entry cellar. Aether begins investigating the wall and knowing what she is looking for easily finds the door and opens it finding a staircase. Duncun makes his way down the staircase that leads to another wall, Duncun states that clearly this has to be another secret door because "who would have a staircase lead to a wall?" He pushes up against it and the wall opens on hinges revealing a bedchamber covered with drapes of scarlet cloth, with a comfortable looking bed, and a wooden chest at the foot of the bed. Also a small writing desk along with amatching chair - sitting at the desk is a short, dark bearded human male in robes and a mantle of ermine, studying a tome. A beautiful glas staff leans against his chair. As Duncun opens the secret door the man looks up in surprise. Duncun moves to shoot the staff to knock it out of reach of the man but misses, Kailo jumps into the room and begins to attack the man, Aether transforms into a lion charges into the bedchamber and tears the mans throat out before he has a chance to react.

Xavien recovers the staff for himself and inspects the writing desk, interested in what tome the man was studying only to discover it is a romance novel. He contines going through the paperwork on the desk and discovers a letter to Lord Albreck from the Black Spider telling him that strangers are due to arrive in Phandalin, they could be working for the dwarves and they should be waylayed at all costs. Seeing a door on the western wall of the bedchamber, Kailo and Aether move to inspect the other chamber finding what appears to be some kind alchemist workshop, while they inspect the room, Aether looking for any materials of worth, the rest of the party loot Glasstaffs bedchamber chest finding money, gems and a couple of spell scrolls.

With the leader of the Redbrands disposed of, and the hideout cleared. The party returns back to the room the bugbears were staying to question/slay the goblin who fainted. they enter the room to find the goblin now sleeping in one of the beds, they wake him up and he screams and faints. They wake him again and Xavien begins to question him in goblin. They inform the goblin that they have slain the bugbears. The goblins is pleased to hear this and introduces himself as Droop. They then proceed to remove his collar and Droop become even more happy jumping up and down on the bed "Droop Free! Droop Free!" They ask Droop what they are doing at the bandits hideout and he tells the party that the Black Spider sent them there to reinforce the Redbrands. They ask him the location of Cragmaw Castle and he tells them that it is in the north in the forest. The party asks if he can lead them there he shurgs saying he doesn't remember the route but he can try. The party feeling for the poor goblin who was picked on, bullied and treated as a slave take him in. Duncun makes a papoose from the ermine mantle he looted off Glasstaff and carries Droop in it.

The party then go back to what was the common room where the bandits were gambling and drinking to recover the the thug they bound up and stuffed in one of the barrels. They wake him up and question him. He tells them the Black Spider hired the Redbrands to frighten off adventureres and intimidate the locals, Why he doesn't know - "The Black Spider only communicated with Glasstaff." Our party debates whether or not they should just kill him and the Redbrand begs for his life "Please I have ten children don't kill me!" They decide to take him and put the collar and leash that was on Droop around the Redbrands neck, cut his legs free with Xavien holding the leash and leading him out. The group finally goes back to the the chamber where the captives were held and use the key to free them. The older woman introduces herself as Mirna Dendrar and her two children Nars and Nilsa. She tells them that a few days ago the Redbrands murdered her husband for defying them and they abducted her and her children to sell them into slavery. She thanks them profusely and though she has nothing to reward them she tells them of a valuable family heirloom that was lost in Thundertree when her family fled from the town when she was a young girl.

Our party then escorts the Mirna and her children out of the hideout and then stop at the ruins to move Droop to Duncuns back and conceal him before moving into town. The group then make their way down the hill back to the inn; however as they reach the Sleeping Giant tap house their Redbrand prisoner cries out for help. They see another Redbrand walk out of the tap house sees the party and yells at his companions inside the bar and moves to attack and free the party's prisoner. Duncun runs up to the ruffian calling the rest of his mates to action and swings the longsword Talon at him, slashing him across the torso. Aether says a healing word to Kailo, preparing him for the fight then moves up to poison spray the same ruffian Duncun attacked killing the man. The prisoner pulls away from Xavien, Xavien loses his grip on the leash and the Redbrand begins to run away. While three more Redbrands run out of the tap house one of them going to the prisoner cutting his bound hands free and handing him a dagger, while the other two go to attack Duncun, slashing away with their shortswords. Kailo moves in to help Duncun and slays one of the ruffians right there. Xavien casts toll the dead on the other one and sucks some of the life out of the man and into himself. Panicked the remaining Redbrands begin to flee, however the adventures make short work of them with Kailo running up to them with ease and slaying each one, until he is up behind the prisoner. The escaped prisoner seeing his comrades cut down with ease and this monk easily able to close the distance turns around and feebly tries to stab Kailo with his dagger, the monk easily deflecting his attacks. Xavien finishes the job with a firebolt to the former prisoners face.

Our party exhausted from an evening of battle make their way back to the Stonehill Inn, where the innkeeper upon seeing the condition they are all in asks what in the nine hells happend to them. They tell him that they took care of and slayed the Redbrands that were harassing the town and the innkeeper just stares at them in disbelief. After some discussion that yes he and the rest of the town no longer have to worry about that band of thugs, he offers them all a round on the house. After which the party members retire to their rooms for the night.

Lord Albrek,
My spies in Neverwinter tell me that strangers are due to arrive in Phandalin. They could be working for the dwarves. Capture them if you can, kill them if you must, but don’t allow them to upset our plans. See that any dwarven maps in their possession are delivered to me with haste. I’m counting on you, Iarno. Don’t disappoint me.

-The Black Spider

Rewards Granted

Talon - Magical Longword
Staff of Defense - An enchanted staff made of glass
Scrolls of fireball and charm person gold, silver, and gems!

Character(s) interacted with

Glasstaff - Lord Iarono Albreck
Droop - Goblin Slave
The Drunk Redbrand - Captive of the party

Report Date

24 Oct 2019

Primary Location

Phandalin